An Expected Threat
by M.G.Erb
Summary: Scorpius and Rose are back at Hogwarts. Ron is out of the Aurors. Draco is missing. What is next is in uncertain time? Sequel to "An Unexpected Guest"
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful morning on the first day of September. The air was crisp, the sky was painted with a soft ginger hue, and Ron Weasley was whistling a happy tune as he drank his morning cup of tea.

"Ron?" said his wife Hermione, as she walked into their kitchen while pinning her hair in a plait. "It's only six-thirty, you're usually still asleep."

"Couldn't sleep," said Ron, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Very excited for today."

"Ron, this is Rose's sixth year and Hugo's fourth," said Hermione. "They already know what to expect..."

"It's not that, love," said Ron.

"Then what is it?" asked Hermione, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"They're leaving," said Ron, smiling a big grin. "They're leaving the flat, at last!"

Although Hermione would have nudged Ron for that remark, she had to admit that this summer had been a rough one for the family. There was only so much space and privacy for the normally hot-headed crew. So Hermione loved her older children being home, she agreed that it was time for them to go back to school and be with their friends.

"Plus," said Ron, his eyes sparkling with joy. "The boy is also going back too!"

"Really, Ron?" groaned Hermione.

Ron and Hermione had been sheltering Scorpius Malfoy this past summer after his family became a targets for a dangerous group of people, some of whom worked in the Ministry. Although Hermione thought highly of Scorpius, Ron's opinion changed daily from tolerance to bitterness. This is partly due to Ron's contentious history with the boy's father, Draco. Even after the Voldemort Reign, Ron and Draco never made peace with each other. Whenever Ron saw Draco at the platform, Ron did his best to avoid eye contact.

"I thought you liked Scorpius," said Hermione.

"Is that what you think this is about?" asked Ron.

"Well…" said Hermione, not trying to make Ron upset.

"If you must know, it's the same reason why I'm glad Rose and Hugo are going back," said Ron. "Too many people in this bloody flat right now."

"Oh," sighed Hermione. For a moment, both of them sipped their tea in

"You sure about bringing Hattie to the station?" asked Ron, wanting to change the subject. "That's still the plan?"

"I think it's a good idea," insisted Hermione. "She's old enough to notice when Rose and Hugo are gone. I've already talked to her about the train, so I want her to actually see it so she understands what's going on."

"Alright," said Ron. "But if she has a tantrum, you're handling it."

* * *

"Where are they?" asked Ginny Potter, waiting with her husband and children for the Granger-Weasleys to arrive. Normally, all the Weasley grandchildren gather at King's Cross station to take a group picture. Currently, Ginny and Harry were there with their seven children as well as Bill with his son Louis and George with his son Freddie. Of the seven Potter, four of them were attending Hogwarts: James, who was in his last year; Albus, a prefect in his sixth year; Lily, a fourth year who was small for her age like her mother; and Iris, the newest Potter child to go to Hogwarts.

"I don't know," said Harry. "I could text Ron and see what's going on…"

"Rose texted me already," said Al, who was close with his cousin. "I guess Hattie had a tantrum before they left and it took a while for Aunt Hermione to calm her down."

"Colin! Cedric! Don't climb on that boys!" yelled Harry, as his twin sons were attempted to climb the bricks of the station.

"Daddy, when can I go to Hogwarts?" asked Hazel, as she tugged on Harry's jacket.

"Six more years, Hazel," said Harry.

"But I want to go now!" she protested, stamping her foot.

"But Daddy and I need you around the house," said Ginny, pointing at Cedric and Colin. "We need your help out with your brothers."

"But they're naughty," said Hazel.

"Exactly," said Harry. "And Mummy and I need you to help us make sure they aren't so naughty. Can you do that?"

"I'll try," sighed Hazel.

"Colin! Cedric! Your father said to get OFF that!" called out Ginny.

"There they are!" yelled Bill.

The Granger-Weasley family and Scorpius walked through with their trolleys and trunks. The Potter twins and Hazel sprinted towards them with Louis and Freddie following behind them, both of whom were in Hugo's year. Al also followed behind his younger siblings to see his best friends, Rose and Scorpius.

"They finally let you two out of the house," said Al, as he embraced Rose and Scorpius.

"Well, you could have texted more!" said Rose, still smiling at seeing her favorite cousin and childhood best friend.

"Yeah, where were you all summer?" asked Scorpius.

"Stuck in Grimmauld Place," said Al. "Dad was rarely home all summer and Mum needed help with the kids."

"Isn't that why you have elves?" asked Scorpius.

"Chessa will let the twins literally run all over the place," said Al. "And Gornie...well, Gornie's smart enough to keep himself busy with other chores."

"Oi! Nerds! Over here!" cried James, waving his arms to the trio. "Let's take this bloody picture already!"

Rose and Al started walking over to see their cousin, but Scorpius stood back with the trolleys. As Scorpius saw the assorted gingers and brunettes gather into a huddle, he felt a touch of sadness realizing that his father or mother weren't there to say good-bye to him. As of that day, no letters or messages came through from his parents, meaning they were still in hiding.

"Scorpius!" yelled Harry. "Would you mind taking a photo for us?"

"Oh, sure Mr. Potter," said Scorpius, running over to the arch were the extended Weasley family was gathered and meeting Harry halfway.

"Sorry, lad, but here's a few more," said Harry, handing over several mobiles to Scorpius before handing over some heavier objects. "And these cameras as well."

"Right," said Scorpius. "Everyone now, smile on one...two...three!" After several attempts at getting everyone to smile and look at the camera, Scorpius was able to get at least one decent photo for family. Once that was done, then it was time for everyone to go onto the platform. The family got into a single file line, with Bill and Louis going first, then George with Freddie, and Ron with Hugo for the next turn.

"Right, Hattie, you ready to go through the wall?" asked Hugo, placing her onto his cart.

"Yeah!" said Hattie.

"Be careful, Hugo!" said Hermione.

"Hold on, bug!" said Ron, as he held on to her as he ran along with Hugo through the platform while Hattie squealed with delight.

"Alright, Iris, your turn!" said James. For a second, Iris hesitated and wasn't sure about going through the wall.

"Give us a second," said Harry, urging the others to go ahead. With that, Ginny with through with Lily and Hazel, Hermione was Rose, and James with the twins.

"Let's go, Al!" said Scorpius, ready to charge through the wall. However, Al was looking back at his father and sister, familiar with the uncertainty that Iris felt at that moment

"Sweetheard, what's the matter?" asked Harry.

"What is I'm not Gryffindor, Dad?" asked Iris. "What if Lily's right and I get sorted into Ravenclaw?"

"Then Ravenclaw will be lucky to have you in it," said Harry, smiling at his daughter. "You know Mum and I don't care what house you get into."

"I care though!" said Iris. "What if no one talks to me after getting into Ravenclaw?"

"Then they're idiots," replied Harry, making Iris laugh. "They don't know what there's missing by not having you as a friend. But, if it's that important to you, you can choose Gryffindor."

"He's right," said Albus, coming over to them. "I told the hat that it was what I wanted, and he listened to me."

"Really?" asked Iris.

"Really," said Albus. Feeling more confident, Iris put her hands on the cart and walked towards the wall.

"Together?" asked Harry, with Iris nodding in response. Once she and Harry charged through the platform, Albus and Scorpius were the only ones left. It was rare that the two of them were left alone, as they were usually with Rose or other students.

"Your family's brilliant," said Scorpius, envious at how close-knitted Albus and Rose's families were to each other.

"I guess so," said Al. "Glad you can be a part of it."

"Me too," said Scorpius, touched by the warm statement. "Oh, and Al..."

"Yeah?" asked Albus, however before Scorpius could say anything, he darted forward towards the platform. Albus shook his head as he heard Scorpius chortled at his prank, but soon charged ahead through the wall to catch up to him on the other side.


	2. Chapter 2

Within a split second, Albus made it through to the platform, surrounded by chaos of Hogwarts students and families saying good-bye for the term. Albus surveyed the area looking for a cluster of redheads.

"Al!" cried out Scorpius, waving him down. "Over here!" Albus pushed his cart over to where Scorpius stood and once they were together, they walked over to the rest of the family. Scorpius were able to see the Granger-Weasley family by noticing Hattie sitting on Ron's shoulders.

" 'Spius!" cried Hattie, waving her little hand.

"Hey, sprog!" shouted Scorpius, waving back.

"There you are!" huffed Rose, as Scorpius purposely bumped into her cart. "Honestly, you're acting like a second-year!" Just then, the whistle from Hogwarts Express blew, meaning that the students had to board soon.

"Right, go give your sister and brother a cuddle, bug," said Ron, placing Hattie down from her shoulders and directing her towards Hugo.

"Let us know when you've settled in," said Hermione, hugging Rose.

"Yes, Mum," said Rose and Hugo.

"And that goes for you too, Scorpius," said Hermione, hugging Scorpius as well. "Please let me know when you've settled in." Although this gesture surprised Scorpius, it was nevertheless welcomed by him as he was secretly envious of the other students whose parents were around to send them off.

"I will, Ms. Granger," said Scorpius.

The second whistle went off and now the students had to get on the train. Hermione hugged Hugo against his grumblings while Rose picked up Hattie, leaving Scorpius and Ron to awkwardly stand on the platform.

"Um," said Ron, reaching his hand out to shake Scorpius's hand. "Good luck, mate."

"Thanks," said Scorpius, shaking his hand. Just then, Rose suddenly jumped in and enveloped her father into a hug, catching Ron by surprise and slightly losing his balance. However, hugs from his oldest were rare and few these days.

"Have a good year, love," said Ron, as he returned the embrace.

"C'mon, we're going to miss the train!" said Hugo, as he picked up his stuff and quickly hopped on the train. Scorpius and Rose gave their final farewells and followed Hugo onto the train. The train's final whistle went off and Ron could see the three teenagers make their way to a comportment to wave at the family. Another year had officially started for everyone. The fact that Rose's last year was only a year away made Ron sentimental about the past when she was younger. At that thought, Ron felt his eyes well up slightly at the sight of his children growing up.

"Ron," asked Hermione, as she held an enthralled Hattie. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, love," said Ron. "Just, smoke in m'eyes."

"Ah," said Hermione, knowing he was lying but going along with it.

* * *

Rose, Scorpius, and Al sat in a comportment on the train, eating sweets and chatting about the upcoming school year. Al managed to find Rose and Scorpius in the comportment while Hugo went off to find his best friend Finn

"So, Mr. Prefect, how are you going to handle being second-string to Kyra Killjoy?" asked Scorpius, popping a lemon sherbet in his mouth.

"He's not second string to Kyra," retorted Rose. "If anything, Al's responsibilities have increased this past year since Kyra is totally irresponsible!"

"Thanks for reminding me of how much work I have to do during school," groaned Albus.

"Oh, stop whinging, Al," said Rose, slightly kicking him. "You know you can do it."

"Well, speaking of second string," said Al, grabbing some marshmallows. "Are you going to be second in the class again, Scorpius?"

"Really, Al?" sighed Rose. "This again? Scorpius doesn't care about his rank."

"Says who?" scuffed Scorpius. "I've been trying to be first in the class since second year."

"It's not that big of a deal," said Rose, rolling her eyes.

"Easy for you to say, Miss First-In-Our-Class," said Al.

"Oh, shut up!" said Rose, throwing an empty Chocolate Frog box at Al, as he and Scorpius started to laugh.

"Knock, knock!" boomed a voice that made Al, Rose, and Scorpius suddenly turn their heads to the door. Standing outside of the door was Troy Charmer, co-captain of the Quidditch team with his relatively charming looks of perfectly coiffed hair and blue eyes with long eyelashes. Next to him was Kyra Ballington, Al's co-Prefect with straight blonde hair and a sculpted nose; Stanley Steward, a boy with flappy ears and freckles bursting on his cheeks; and Bruno Tugg, whose beady eyes appeared to be encased by his face. The four seventh-year Gryffindors hated Scorpius for being a Malfoy, Al for being a Potter, and Rose for being a Weasley.

"I say, did we interrupt a snogging fest between you lot?" asked Stanley, receiving an encouraging nudge from Troy.

"You know that's illegal to do it with your cousin, don't you Rosie?" asked Kyra.

"What are you doing here?" asked Scorpius, annoyed by their presence.

"Actually, I'm doing my job and patrolling the carriages," said Kyra, looking directly at Al. "Why aren't you, Al?"

"Because it's not my shift yet," said Al. "We have specific times for that, Kyra."

"Oh? Did you hear that, Kyra?" asked Troy. "Apparently Potter doesn't take his Prefect duties seriously!"

"What a shame," said Kyra. "Al's been stuffing his face with lollies, while I've been patrolling for the past hour."

"I'm pretty sure you just forgot how to read a clock, Kyra," retorted Al, resulting in Scorpius snorting with laughter.

"What's so funny, Blondie?" asked Bruno.

"Al's joke," said Scorpius "I laughed."

"You know what else is a joke?" asked Troy. "The Ministry protecting your snake scum of a family."

"Watch it, Troy!" said Rose, jumping up from her sit to attack. Scorpius had to keep his laughter to himself when he saw Troy step behind Stanley and Bruno while Al held Rose back.

"Your snake-loving family should watch it," threatened Tory.

"You need to leave, all of you," said Al firmly..

"Or what, Potter?" asked Bruno, getting in Al's face.

"Nevermind, Bruno," said Troy, pulling him back. "This train is too small. Wait 'til we get to school where there will be more space." With that, Bruno walked back and the gang walked away, with Troy flipping them off as he left.

"Merlin's beard I hate that lot," said Rose. "Why does Jay even like him?"

"Jay can't see past the charisma," said Al, referring to his brother James.

"What charisma," snorted Scorpius.

"And Troy is not afraid to kiss his arse," added Al.

"Al, that's a horrid thing to say!" said Rose, surprised by Al's statement.

Unlike Al, whose only friends were Rose and Scorpius, James was friends with practically everyone. James and Troy were best friends in their first year and remained friendly with each other. despite the change in friends. None of the other Weasleys and Potters like Troy because they saw him as nothing more than a bully and coward. For some reason, James was willing to look past these flaws, which bothered Troy's primary victims, Rose and Albus.

"Scorpius?" asked Rose. "Are you okay?" Scorpius remained sitting with a solemn look on his face and his hands balled up.

"Yeah," he said, softly with no conviction.

"Rose, don't," said Al, as Rose was about to say something.

"I'm trying to help, Al!" whispered Rose.

"He'll be fine, Rosie, please," said Al. "Just leave him."

Rose sighed as she leaned her head against the window. At a glance, she knew Scorpius was tense based on his eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. Taking a deep breath, Rose tried to forget the unpleasant encounter. It always bothered Rose when people made assumptions about Scorpius before getting to know him. Part of that was due to her own experience judging Scorpius at first due to his name before getting to know him. When she looked over at Scorpius again, she tried to hide her smile, thinking about how dull her life would be without him.


	3. Chapter 3

The excitement of returning to Hogwarts never fades away, even for the older students. Everyone looked forward to the first feast back as well as the sorting process, which was especially of interest to Al this year as Iris was among the first years to be sorted. When the hat called out Iris' house, a look of shock appeared on her face, the same shock that Al felt when he found out where he was sorted.

"There she is - the newest member of Gryffindor!" cried James, as he and the rest of the family applauded Iris Potter, who ran out of the hall and jumped into her brother's arms.

"I thought for sure you'd be in Ravenclaw," said Lily.

"Because I like books?" asked Iris.

"Because you look like Moaning Myrtle," retorted Lily.

"That's enough, Lill," said James, holding Iris back before she could pull on Lily's red hair.

"Iris!" cried Evie Longbottom, Iris's best friend who resembled her father with her round face and straight brown hair.

"Evie!" said Iris, running to her and hugging her. "We did it! We're both in Gryffindor!"

"First years!" cried Al. "Follow me to the dorms!"

"Hooray up, you lot!" said Kyra. "Anyone left behind is sleeping outside the dorms! Let's go!"

"Merlin's beard," said Hugo, rolling his eyes. "Who let Kyra Killjoy be a prefect again?"

"Right, everyone to your dorms now," called out Neville, who was the Head of Gryffindor house.

"Well, see you tomorrow morning, Rosie," said Scorpius.

"Oh, Scorpius!" cried a pug-faced girl, running over to the boy and grabbing him before Rose could say anything. "Let's get out of here - we have quite the party set up for the first-years in the Dungeon!"

"Um...okay!" said Scorpius, who was dragged away by the pug-face girl. Rose shook her head at the antics of Juniper Parkinson, but her reaction was short-lived as Lexie Thomas and Pooja Reddy came over to her and did the same thing.

"Do you think Lily noticed my haircut?" asked Finn Creevey, a fourth-year Gryffindor with tawny hair. "I'm trying to coif it like the lads in OZ-Born."

"Yeah...I wouldn't count on it, Finnie," said Hugo, putting his arm around his friend's shoulder. "She's got her eyes on Matthew Corner this year."

As friends reunited and the dorms were opened up again, it was safe to say that the new school year and term was back in full swing.

* * *

While Hogwarts was buzzing with the arrival of students, several Aurors were drinking beer at the Leaky Caoludron celebrating Ron Weasley's tenure as an Auror, which had come to an end. Although Shacklebolt and Harry made compelling arguments for restoring Ron's Auror status, Ron in the end decided not to return to the Auror Department. Ron believed that the Dover Street incident proved he was weak as he couldn't protect his own daughter. After that, Ron truly believed he was not the same fighter he was as a young man. Despite Harry's pleas, Ron was firm with his decision and Harry had no choice but to let him go with his decision.

"We'll miss you, Weasley," said Creevey, wiping away some froth from his mouth. "It wouldn't be the same seeing your ginger mug around the office."

"Well, we still have Percy," said Seamus, which resulted in some drunken laughter. "But it ain't gonna be the same without ya, mate."

"I'll still be around," said Ron, finishing off his third beer. "Oi, you lot talk about me like I'm dead!"

"Speaking of dead," said Harry. "Ginny expected me home about an hour ago."

"Same," said Dennis. "Although I'm pretty sure the missus prefers it when I'm gone 'cuz she can watch whatever she wants on the telly!"

"What have we here?" The sound of the baritone voice made everyone jump a bit, because that voice was associated with authority. There was Shacklebolt, standing in the middle of the room as his employees tried to hide the numerous drinks they

"Very well," said Shacklebolt, whose iron will meant that alcohol did not affect him. "Weasley, good luck with everything. I'm sure we'll be requesting your services in the future."

"Here's hoping that's not the case," said Ron, shaking Shacklebolt's hand. Luckily for Ron, three beers didn't hinder his ability to disapparate back to his flat, where he found Hermione reading on the couch with the television on a soft volume.

"Hello, love," said Ron, hiccuping slightly. Looking up from her book, Hermione noticed that he was slightly tipsy and simply shook her head.

"What?" asked Ron, a bit peeved at her reaction.

"Hiccuping already?" asked Hermione, closing her book. "You don't get to that unless you've had five or six drinks."

"Well, I'm not as young as I once was" said Ron, his tone gradually becoming more solemn. "And clearly not the same fighter either."

"Ron," said Hermione, patting the seat cushion next to her so Ron could sit. "You know I think you are still the same fighter, right?"

"You didn't see me at Dover, 'Mione," said Ron. "I couldn't protect her!"

"But you what? She's fine," said Hermione, putting her hand to his cheek. "And she still loves you, and I still love you."

"Even if I'm not an Auror?" asked Ron, smiling after hearing those words.

"Absolutely," said Hermione, as she brought him in for a kiss.

"Daddy?" said a small voice.

"Hey, bug," said Ron, walking over to his two-year-old daughter. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Where you go?" asked Hattie, as she held her little arms out for father.

Hermione smiled as she watched Ron take their young daughter. Even after almost twenty years of marriage, Hermione still saw the same young man who fought alongside her during the battle of Hogwarts. Ron had always been brave, heroic, and protective of his loved ones. Hermione knew that seeing Rose in pain during the siege at Dover Street was enough to shake Ron's confidence as a fighter. No matter how many people would try to convince him otherwise, Hermione knew that she had to let Ron find that courage again.

As Hermione sat back down on the couch, she could hear Ron rummaging around the bathroom. Just then, Hermione's heart started to race. She ran to the toilet, hoping she wasn't too late. The door was ajar, and Hermione saw Ron leaning over the sink while holding a white stick in his hands.

"Ron," said Hermione, softly.

"You're pregnant," stated Ron.

"I found out this morning at work," said Hermione. "When I saw the test, I went immediately to the healer. He thinks I'm at least six weeks along."

"We're...having another baby?" said Ron, quietly. "At our age?"

"They say it tends to happen when you least expected it, and we were definitely not expecting it," said Hermione, laughing a little bit to calm her nerves. Meanwhile Ron just stared at the test. They already had two in school and a toddler at home, could they handle a fourth baby?

"Are you okay, love?" asked Hermione, concerned about Ron's pale face.

"I think I need to sit down," said Ron, as he collapsed to the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

It was now the third week of term. The sixth-years were starting to feel the heavier workload that was associated with their studies, especially with N.E.W.T.S. being next year. Rose and Albus were on their way to the library to reserve a table for themselves and Scorpius, who was at Quidditch tryouts. As they were walking, all of the sudden, they felt a gust of wind knock them over, causing them to land on the cobblestone floor. Laughter rang out, as Al helped Rose to her feet, with the loudest laughter coming from Bruno, Kyra, and Stanley.

"Really?" asked Al, unimpressed and unbothered. "You've been using that trick since our first year."

"Where's your boyfriend, Rose?" sneered Bruno.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend," insisted Rose, knowing they were referring to Scorpius.

"Guess they finally got to them," said Stanley.

"Who?" asked Rose, concerned with Stanley's menacing tone.

"Who do you think?" taunted Bruno.

"Let's go, Rosie," said Albus, turning his back on them. "We've got better things to do."

"Oh, really, like what?" asked Stanley.

"Like study," said Al, which was met with snickering. "I'd rather not have my parent beg the school to have their precious little boy retake their O.W.L.S!"

"You like to elaborate on that further, poof?" asked Bruno, grabbing Al by his collar.

"Let him go or I'll hex you to eternity!" said Rose, jumping to the front of her cousin before Bruno had a chance to pick him up. Although much bigger than Rose, Bruno knew how tough she was from defence against the dark arts classes. Plus, like all Weasleys, she had a wide range of hexes in her arsenal. Slowly, Bruno backed up and walked away with Stanley.

"Al..." said Rose, concerned about her cousin.

"It's fine, Rose," mumbled Al. "It's just a word." With her arms open, Rose gently embraced Al, allowing him to put his head on her shoulder. Even though Al had his closest cousin and best friend to support him, the name calling did wear down on him.

"I'm sorry, Al," whispered Rose.

* * *

Hermione was walking to work after dropping Hattie off at nursery. It was a rainy morning and although Hermione was running a few minutes later than she wanted, she didn't want to jeopardize losing the baby by slipping on the wet pavement. At this point, only Ron and she knew about the pregnancy, but Hermione knew at some point she had to tell the family and her employees.

After the initial surprise and shock of it all, Ron came around in the end. If there was one thing Ron loved to do more than boost about his wife was boost about his children. The thought of another baby excited him, especially the thought of perhaps having another boy to even out the ratio in the house.

As she navigated her way around the puddles, Hermione had this eerie feeling in her gut, as though someone was watching her. Hermione stopped in her tracks to look around, only to see people passing her by in the London street. Normally, Hermione tried to blend in by walking to the Ministry, but today given this eerie feeling she decided that disapparating was the better choice. Hermione looked around once more before entering an alleyway to perform magic. She took one more glance and just as she disapparated, she saw a white-hair man looking at her at the opening of the alley.

In a split second, Hermione arrived to the Ministry, already busy and full of employees heading to work. Once again, Hermione looked around to see if anyone had followed her and quickly walked into the .

"Granger," said a deep voice. Hermione jumped at the sound of Shacklebolt's voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Shacklebolt, who was taken back by Hermione's reaction.

"No, I'm sorry Kingsley," said Hermione. "I was just...lost in thought."

"Well, I've been looking for you," said Shacklebolt. "There's a matter I've been meaning to discuss with you about."

"Of course, Kingsley, I'm...excuse me..." Before Kingsley could ask Hermione what was wrong, Hermione sprinted to the bathrooms in the main lobby.

* * *

"We're glad to have you back, mate," said George, showing Ron to his new office at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. "I'm sorry being an Auror didn't work out."

"No you're not," said Ron. "You miss bossing me around."

"Guilty as charged," said George, raising his hands to the air. "But in all seriousness, this couldn't have come at a better time because we actually need someone to help us spearhead our games section."

"Games?" asked Ron, sitting down at his new desk. "Like, chess?"

"Exactly," said George, also sitting down at the chair across from Ron's desk. "We've basically had the market cornered for pranks. Now, we want to expand into games. Do you remember all of those games Dad would bring home from work?"

"Oh yeah," said Ron. "Like...um, what was the one with the slides and ladders?"

"Chutes and ladders," said George. "Right now though, we want to focus on a chess game. But, we want a chess board that incorporates the magical charm of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. You know what I mean?"

"So you want the queen to throw a Boogey Hex at a rook?" asked Ron.

"Well, she's a queen, Ron, we can think of something a bit more classy," said George, getting up from the chair. "I'll leave you to it to come up with some ideas."

"Got it," said Ron, giving his brother a faux salute.

"Welcome back, Ron," said George, with genuine warmth in his voice as he left the office.

Ron looked around at his office. It was stark at the moment, but within a few minutes, Ron used magic to decorate it with his favorite photos. The first photo was him and Hermione on their wedding day, the second was Rose in her Hogwarts uniform during her first year, the third was Hugo at a Chudley Canons game, and the fourth was Hattie on Ron's shoulders. The final photo was of the entire family from last year. Soon, Ron would have to add another photo of the fourth Granger-Weasley, a thought that filled him with joy.

Once done, Ron looked around the room to admire his work. Just then, Ron's phone rang. Ron looked down and saw it was Harry.

"Harry? What's up?" asked Ron.

"I just saw Hermione run into the bathroom," said Harry. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"


	5. Chapter 5

The sixth years were in Professor Borage's Potions class working on creating an Amortentia potion. This year, Rose and Scorpius were paired up as partners, while Al was paired up with Pooja. In general, Rose and Scorpius would normally butt heads over creating potions, which provided endless entertainment for Al. However, today Scorpius was focusing more on his book than listening to Rose's whinging.

"I hate this potion," said Rose. "It's a stupid potion."

"Why is it stupid?" asked Scorpius, not really in the mood to listen to Rose's whinging.

"Because it's an outdated potion," said Rose. "Everyone knows that having obsessive tendencies towards a person is unhealthy and it's certainly not romantic."

"Mhm, right," said Scorpius re-reading the potion's instructions.

"Don't you agree?" asked Rose.

"Sure," answered Scorpius, without looking up from the book.

"You're not even listening to me!" whispered Rose, trying to control her Weasley temper to avoid being called out by Professor Borage.

"Sorry," mumbled Scorpius, not paying attention.

"I'll stir it," said Rose, grabbing the stirring rod. "It needs a lighter hand for the job."

"And you have that lighter hand?" asked Scorpius, incredulously.

"Oh, shut up," said Rose, starting to stir. Scorpius watched the potion become a mother of pearl color with a silky consistency, but he had trouble seeing the steam spirals that came out of the potion.

"Is it working, Scorpius?" asked Rose.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger-Weasley!" said Professor Borage excitedly, walking over to their station. "That color is nearly perfect! An excellent consistency as well."

"I don't see the spirals, Professor." remarked Scorpius.

"It takes some time, Mr. Malfoy," said Professor Borage, as he started to walk away to look at the other potions. "Based on the color of the potion, I don't doubt that you'll be seeing some shortly."

"Smell it, Scorpius," said Rose, eager to see if the potion worked.. Scorpius sighed, not wanting to argue with Rose, and peered over the concoction to sniff it. As he sniffed the potion, Scorpius was transported to Honeydukes with his father, who waved his hand in front of the sweets in front of Scorpius. Scorpius found himself looking at all of the sweets until he came to the lemon sherbets. Scorpius

"Lemon," said Scorpius, smiling as though he was in the sweet shop.

"Of course," said Rose, rolling her eyes. "Anything else?"

Scorpius took another whiff and immediately he was transported back to Malfoy Manor. He was running through the halls trying to avoid the nanny that had cared for his father as a child. In this moment, young Scorpius turned the corner and saw his mother, dressed in forest green robes with her dark hair down. Astoria faced Scorpius and smiled at him, opening her arms for a hug. Scorpius ran to her arms and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck...

"Eucalyptus," said Scorpius in a melancholy tone. "My mother's perfume." Rose's eager expression softened at Scorpius mentioning his mother. From the few times Rose met his mother, Rose gathered that his mother was a kind woman without a single hateful thought towards anyone. Rose suspected that if Scorpius didn't have the mother that he had, Scorpius wouldn't have turned out the way he did given the circumstances of his family.

"Oh," said Rose, softly.

"Wait...there's another..." said Scorpius.

_Scorpius was a first year student outside in the courtyard with Al on a crisp autumn day. Then, Scorpius felt something hit his neck. When he looked up, he saw Troy Charmer laughing at him alongside Kyra, Stanley, and Bruno._

_"Merlin, you've got a wicked welt on your neck!" said Al._

_"Hey, Malfoy," said Troy. "If you hang around with that faerie long enough you'll start getting more hickeys like that around your neck!" Just then, Troy held onto his nose as bats made from his boogeys flew out of his nostrils. It wasn't just Troy, but the rest of them also began to have bats fly out of their noses. The rest of the students in the courtyard began to laugh at the crew of second years as they tried to stop the hex._

_"Rosie!" said Al, seeing his cousin walked towards him and Scorpius. At that moment, Scorpius was truck with how much Rose had changed from first year to now, like how Rose's auburn hair had tighter curls in it when she was eleven, whereas now she had more wavy curls. What hadn't changed was how Rose carried herself as though she was the next Minister of Magic, with her shoulders back and her chest puffed out to the world._

_"Are you alright, you two?" asked Rose. "I heard Troy call you that nasty word Al and I just had to step in. Oh, Scorpius! Your neck! What kind of hex did they throw at you? Here, take my scarf..."_

"Hmm," said Scorpius, back in the classroom.

"What is it, Scorpius?" asked Rose.

"Spices," said Scorpius. "Like those you'd find in tarts."

"Look, the spirals!" said Rose excitedly, pointing at the potion. "There they are! We did!"

"Well done, Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger-Weasley!" applauded Professor Borage. "As the first ones to complete the potions, you'll each get points for your respective houses. Round of applause, everyone!"

As the students gave a lukewarm response to Professor Borage's enthusiastic response, Rose felt her cheeks go red. Scorpius met with Rose's eyes and just shrugged his shoulders, as if to say "who cares?" Rose smiled and shook her head, as she got out her potions book.

Then, Scorpius smelled another scent from the potion. Scorpius immediately recognized it as chocolate, which was Rose's favorite sweet.

"Bugger," he whispered under his breath.

* * *

Once the class was over, Professor Borage wanted to speak to Scorpius and Rose about their potion, so Albus waited outside the classroom with Anjali.

"I don't know about you, but I was looking forward to this class," said Pooja nudging Al. "I was sure that with one whiff of that potion those two will be loved up!"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Anji" said Al.

"Perhaps a bit of Amortentia is what they need to finally admit their feelings," said Pooja. "Wouldn't it be romantic? A Malfoy and a Weasley, two children from families known to loathe each, united as two star-crossed lovers!"

"I think you've been reading too much Shakespeare," laughed Al, who secretly enjoyed Pooja's fantastical ideas.

"Read? Nobody reads that stuff anymore," scoffed Pooja.

"Well, I think it's disgusting," said Kyra, who walked past them with Stanley in tow. "I heard that Malfoy's great-aunt tortured Rose's mum using the Cruciatus Curse."

"And my Gran destroyed that barmy witch during the Battle of Hogwarts," countered Al.

"You know, Potter, my father told me that your uncle is sympathetic to Slytherins," said Stanley, getting in Al's face.

"You know I have about twenty uncles, right?" retorted Al, not bothered by Stanley's taunt.

"The one who just got sacked as an Auror," said Stanley. "You know, the one that almost got a bunch of Aurors killed by his actions."

"He was rescuing Rose," said Al, starting to get defensive. "Even though the Aurors were going to rescue her, there was no way my uncle Ron was going to do nothing. He would have lost a leg to save Rose, and almost did!"

"Well, maybe he should have lost his leg," said Stanley. "Especially since he doesn't care about what the Malfoys did to your auntie..."

"Back off, you two," said Pooja, sharply. "Just keep walking down the corridor."

"How can we when we can smell your curry breathe all the way down the hall?" asked Kyra, fanning her hand in front of face.

"Miss Ballington!" boomed Professor Borage, coming to the door. "Don't think I didn't hear that! That intolerant language is not tolerated! Fifty points from Gryffindor."

"But Professor," protested Kyra, over the sounds of groans from some of her classmates around the corridor.

"Wow, she's really pants at being a Prefect," said Scorpius, as he and Rose walked out of the classroom.

"You must have made a cracking potion if Professor Borage wanted to speak with you," said Pooja, walking with them.

"Well," said Scorpius, looking at Rose. "It does take a lighter hand."

"Oh, shut it," said Rose, blushing at the remark.


	6. Chapter 6

"There you are, darling," said Harry, as he sat down at the booth across from Ginny. "You look lovely tonight."

"I just came from a meeting," said Ginny, putting down her mobile. "Otherwise I wouldn't be so dressed up."

"Did you get in touch with Chessa or Gornie?" asked Harry.

"No, but I did get to talk to Cedric," said Ginny, as Harry shook his head. "He can let the elves know what's happening."

"Glad to know that our eight-year-old son has everything under control," said Harry.

The pub was buzzing with patrons, laughing and drinking pints of beers. Other than some of the faces in the pub, it was still the same place Harry visited all those years ago with Hagrid prior to his first year at Hogwarts. Everyone knew that hidden underneath the warm atmosphere, the Leaky Cauldron was also known for it's covert rendezvous and meetings. It was a place known for keeping secrets within its Medieval wooden walls. For Harry, it was an ideal place for him to discuss an important issue with the most important people in his life.

"How was work?" asked Ginny, checking her phone once more in case Cedric had texted her that the house was on fire.

"I wish I could tell you," said Harry, sipping his beer.

"You can," nudged Ginny. "You basically tell me everything already."

"I'm waiting for the right time," responded Harry. Ginny raised her eyebrow, but before she could respond she saw Ron and Hermione entering the pub. Harry turned to face the pub's entrance and waved them down. Although she was happy to see them, Ginny was also surprised as she was under the impression that tonight would be just her and Harry.

"Did you invite them?" asked Ginny, with Harry simply shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, this is a nice surprise," said Hermione as she sat next to Ginny. "We weren't expecting you, Ginny."

"Same," said Ginny, glaring at Harry, who remained unperturbed by Ginny's frustration.

"She's with Mum and Dad," said Ron. "They're watching her at our flat."

"Harry, what's going on?" asked Ginny, getting irritated at the thought of being the last to know what was going on.

"There are a couple of things I need to talk to you all about," said Harry. "I figured to less you knew beforehand, the better."

"Well, ten points from Gryffindor for the idea!" huffed Ginny. "Harry, what's so important that you need to be so secretive?"

"I'll start with Hermione," said Harry. Ginny looked at Hermione, who looked like a teenager who had been caught sneaking out of Hogwarts at night.

"Well?" asked Ginny, slightly exasperated by her husband's antics.

"I'm pregnant," said Hermione, taking a deep breath before revealing the news. Ginny's blue eyes grew large and her mouth dropped open. When she turned to Ron, Ron shook his head to confirm the news.

"Oh, 'Mione," said Ginny, grabbing Hermione's hands. "That's wonderful! Wait, Harry, did you already know about this?"

"I had a hunch," said Harry. "I saw her dart to the toilet at the Ministry. I didn't want to assume anything, but when I called Ron,he confirmed it with me..."

"Can I get you lot anything to eat or drink?" asked a barmaid. Ginny continued to look both amazed and confused at the news as the barmaid took their orders.

"Wow," said Ginny, finally responsive after the barmaid left. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can we," said Hermione. "But, here we are."

"Here we are," chimed Ron, grinning ear to ear.

"Have you told Mum?" asked Ginny, as the barmaid returned with their drinks.

"Not yet," said Ron, taking . "We'll probably tell them tonight when we get back."

"Here's to you two," said Harry, raising his glass to Hermione and Ron. "You two are bloody brilliant parents, so number four is going to be very loved."

"Thanks, Harry," smiled Ron. The evening went by with Ginny and Hermione discussing her pregnancy as well as stories of their children adjusting to new siblings. Soon the group ordered supper and once they were done eating, there was a round of firewhiskey for Ron and Harry, with Ginny and Hermione sticking to pumpkin juice. Despite Ginny's initial surprise at seeing Ron and Hermione, she was glad for the company.

"So," said Harry. "There's another reason why I wanted to meet up tonight."

"What it is, Harry?" asked Ron, finishing the last of his pie and mash. Harry inhaled deeply, preparing himself for the news he was about to reveal to the table.

"I know things have been slow this past month for the Aurors," said Harry. "However I suspect something more troubling is on the horizon. Something as troubling as what we saw at the Battle of Hogwarts during the Voldemort Reign."

"Harry," said Ginny, trying not to let fear creep over her. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Gin," said Harry, trying to stay calm and collected. "We need to reunite the Order."

At that statement, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat back in their seats in perfect synchronization. Truthfully, none of them wanted to remember that battle as it marked the end of their childhood. The thought of their own children being involved in a battle like the one at Hogwarts filled them with fear and dread. Suddenly, Ron slammed his fist down on the old table in frustration and made a thud that was loud enough to silence the pub temporarily. Once Harry cleared his throat, then the noise came back.

"Ronald!" scolded Hermione. "What was that about?"

"We agreed," said Ron, his voice trembling. "That the Order would only be called if there was one-hundred percent certainty that we faced the same threat again."

"And I'm telling you, Ron, we are facing that same threat," said Harry. "After all those arrests we made at Dover Street, more people are going to retaliate and the Ministry is going to be divided."

"Harry," argued Ron. "If we call the Order, we are placing our families in danger."

"I know," said Harry. "But if we don't act now, more families will be placed in danger, and it's the Order's job to protect these families."

"But the Ministry," said Hermione. "Surely, you and I could have some sway, and Kingsley..."

"Hermione," said Ginny, catching on with Harry's plan. "Why do you think the Order was started?"

"To step in where the Ministry couldn't," said Hermione.

The four of them sat in silence at the terrible realization. The worst part was that they could not predict when all of this would happen. What did they know, and what they silently agreed on, was that the Order of Phoenix had to and was going to return.


	7. Chapter 7

Scorpius, Rose, and Albus were in the Great Hall eating their school dinner while preparing for their afternoon Divination lesson.

"Rose, have you even touched your jacket potato?" asked Scorpius, concerned that Rose was focusing more on her books that on her appetite.

"Honestly, who cares about birds!" huffed Rose, slamming her book shut so loudly that others around the table jumped. "Who cares about Ornithomancy? They're just winged rats!"

"I do!" protested Al. "My patronus is a crane, so I quite like birds!"

"Hello, nerds!" said a cheerful familiar voice belonging to James Potter.

"What do you want, Jay?" groaned Al.

"Well, hello to you too, brother," said James, patting Al's shoulder. "I just wanted to congratulate Rosie on becoming a big sister again."

"Thank you, Jay," said Rose. Rose was taken by surprise when her mother had facetimed to tell her and Hugo about the pregnancy. Needless to say, Rose didn't know very many kids who were sixteen going on seventeen with mothers expecting a baby. However, once the shock of it had worn off, both Rose and Hugo were over the moon at the prospect of a new sibling. Moreover, both were excited at the notion that perhaps they will have a little brother this time around.

"What are you reading, Rosie?" asked James.

"Divinations," said Rose, who had the same disdain for the class as her mother.

"Yeah, that stuff is rubbish," said James. "I can't believe you're still actually studying for those exams. You can literally write anything that sounds half-decent and Trelawney will give you an acceptable grade."

"Some of us still care about our classes, Jay," retorted Al, who had reached his maximum tolerance level for his brother.

"Jeez, Al, did something bite you in the arse this morning?" said James, take back by his brother's cold tone.

"They're both a bit stressed out about Divinations," said Scorpius, trying to diffuse the tension. "I've had to deal with this all morning."

"Well, better you than me, Malfoy," said James. "I guess I'll let you nerds get back to work, then. I'll see you on the Quidditch rounds later, Malfoy."

"Cheers," said Scorpius, who awkwardly saluted back at James.

"What is your problem, Al?" countered Rose, after James had gone a few feet away from them. "He was actually being nice!"

"Whatever," mumbled Al, clearly in a foul mood. Before Rose could press him even more, Scorpius cleared his throat to get her attention. When Rose looked towards Scorpius, he nodded his head which Rose understood to mean that she should leave Albus alone for now. With a heavy sigh, Rose went back to studying her lessons.

Meanwhile, Al continued to stew among his negative thoughts and memories regarding his brother. Unlike Al, who was quiet and awkward, James was gregarious and easy to get along with. Whereas Al was uncomfortable with the attention he received for being Harry Potter's second son, James relinquished in being the eldest child. James never missed an opportunity to mention his famous father. It didn't help that James managed to use his charm to squeak by in his classes and win over professors, unlike Al who took his lessons seriously and had to work to get noticed in his classes. What annoyed Al even more was other Gryffindor students relied on James for advice, despite Al being a prefect.

When Al entered Hogwarts, James had already made a great impression amongst the Gryffindor students, which only made Al an easy target for bullies as being the shy and sullen Potter brother. Because James only saw the good in people, it made it difficult for Al to depend on his brother to defend him, especially since the bullies tended to be other Gryffindor students. If Al didn't have Rose and Scorpius at his side, Al's life at Hogwarts would be more miserable.

"Ready to go, Al?" asked Scorpius, as he and Rose packed up their books to head to class.

"Yeah," said Al, still in a fog of his own thoughts. "Sorry about that earlier."

"It's fine," said Rose, reassuring her cousin. Rose was aware of the tension between James and Al, mainly because she saw it going up at family gatherings. Her parents were the closest to her Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, so Rose spent a lot of her time with James and Albus when she was little. Before they were primary school age, James was known for trying to get a reaction out of Albus, whether that was wrestling or chasing him or trying to take a toy away from Al. Often times, Rose would have to interfere at a young age in defense of Al. As they grew older, sometimes James and Al would engage in verbal jousting, often with the timid Al feeling defeated by the more confident James.

Unlike Al, Rose recognized that James really did love Al. She just wished that James wouldn't be so thick and see that Al needed an extra boost of confidence from him. As they left the Great Hall, Rose knew she had to leave behind the drama of the school dinner and focus on the idiotic bird assignment that laid ahead.


	8. Chapter 8

This activity of sneaking on the balcony was a popular Potter children tradition since many exciting things happened in that room that were off limits to the children. Because the doors were so old and worn, they didn't close all the way anymore, so when they were people in the room the children could eavesdrop in and listen to the adult conversations.

"C'mon, Cedric!" said Colin, who was running through the dimly lit, deep purple halls of Grimmauld Place once evening after dinner.

"Colin, be quiet! Or we'll get caught!" said Cedric, who was holding Hattie's hand. When Ginny announced she was expecting twin boys, it was a bittersweet moment since the family still mourn the loss of Fred, especially George. Cedric and Colin were both the most Weasley looking of the Potter kids, with their blue eyes and ruffled ginger hair. It was impossible to distinguish them, but Ginny insisted that Colin's eyes were smaller than Cedric.

"Wait for me!" yelled Hazel, running behind her brothers. Unlike her sisters, Hazel's hair changed colours from copper to auburn hair. Her eyes on the other hand were truly hazel, a mixture of green and brown, colours from the Potter side.

"Me too!" said Gus Longbottom, Neville's six-year-old son.

"Shh!" whispered Cedric. "If Gornie or Chessa catches us they'll send us back!"

The four children wanted to eavesdrop on an important meeting for their parents. Colin was determined to listen in. Initially, Colin had only recruited Cedric to join his plan to eavesdrop. Unfortunately, Hazel had overheard the conversation and insisted on joining her brothers or else she would tell their parents that they were eavesdropping. The plans were further muddied when Colin and Cedric realized that their cousin Hattie and the Longbottom children would be over to Grimmauld Place.

"Colin, Cedric! We shouldn't be doing this!" said Alice Longbottom, who was nine years old and holding her baby sister Frankie. Whereas Gus shared some of Neville's traits such as big teeth and a round face, Alice looked the most like her mother Hannah with long blond hair and softer facial features.

"Why?" asked Cedric.

"Because we'll get in trouble," argued Alice. "And I don't want to get in trouble!"

"Then you can stay behind and watch the babies," said Colin. "But we're going downstairs."

"Hey! We're not babies," insisted Hazel, putting her hands on her hips and getting in Cedric's face.

"Yea!" said Hattie, mimicking Hazel and also stepping in front of a very confused Cedric.

"Fine," huffed Alice, as she adjusted Frankie in her arms. "Let's go." Cedric directed everyone to go down the stairs to the the top of the stairs on the first floor. The kids had to take soft steps since the old wooden stairs tended to squeak when people walked down them.

"Did you bring the ear?" asked Cedric, keeping his voice low.

"It's in my pocket," said Colin, who was holding Hattie's hand. Cedric reached in the pocket of Colin's cords and pulled out the Extendable Ear.

"Stop here!" said Cedric, putting his arm out to stop everyone at the top of the balcony overseeing the hall of ground floor. Colin peered over the veneered bannister of the stairs and stared down at the black and white tiles, some covered with old Turkish rugs that dated back to the Black family. Next, Colin looked at the tall wooden doors leading to what the Potter children had always called the Long Table Room, a term coined by James when he was four.

"Alright, everyone needs to be quiet, okay?" asked Colin, as he kneeled to the ground with Gus, Hazel, and Hattie copying him. "Alice, if Frankie cries..."

"She won't," insisted Alice, sitting down with Frankie on her lap. "She's quiet as long as she has her dummy."

"Shh!" whispered Colin, as he lowered the ear down to the hallway. The children gathered around Colin as the ear began to pick up the voices. It was rare for the children to be as quiet as they were listening to the adults talk.

"Uh oh," said Hazel, making Colin and Cedric turn their heads.

"What are you lot doing?" grumbled Gornie, walking down the hall with Chessa in tow.

Gornie, an older house-elf, had ears that pointed up, small black eyes, tufts of hair sticking from his ears, and warts around the right side of his face. Chessa was thin as a twig with glassy black eyes and small, delicate hands. Both the elves worn articles of clothing, signifying their decision to work for the Potters and their power as free elves. Gornie wore a patchwork vest that Chessa made for him as a gift as well as one of the older Potter boys' blazers. Chessa had a plaid scarf tied around her head and a eucre tunic tied by an old tassel.

"Umm..." Cedric looked around at the group for help.

"Move over!" said Chessa, getting in between Colin and Cedric. "Chessa and Gornie want to hear as well!"

"Especially since Chessa and Gornie never get to be part of these ruddy meetings," remarked Gornie, who remained standing and hovering over the children.

"Shh!" said Colin. "Dad's talking now...he's gonna arrest someone!"

"Who is Master Harry arresting?" asked Gornie.

"I keep hearing about a rat," said Alice.

"Rats are so small," said Chessa. "Do they even fit in the handy-cuffs?"

"Maybe they have small handcuffs!" said Hazel.

"Wait, did you here that?" asked Cedric. Just then, the door began to open and the twins started to frantically pull up the ear to avoid being caught by their mum, who was the only thing the twins feared. However, they were too late as a figure stepped out. The children and elves looked frozen and sheepish at being caught, but tried to remain quiet in hoping the shadows covered their faces.

"Who's out there, Ron?" asked Harry, from inside the room. Ron looked around and saw the kids on the stairs, finding it hard to contain his laughter at their attempt to hide in the shadows.

"Nothing, Harry," said Ron, winking at his nephews up above. "I'm telling you, this place is probably haunted with Black family ghosts." With that, Ron closed the door behind him, shaking his head at the antics.

"Wow, I can't believe that worked!" said Colin. "See, Cedric? We're getting better at this!"

"Shut up!" said Gornie. "Gornie needs to figure out who the rat is!"

"All I know is that they aren't going to have a happy Christmas!" remarked Chessa.


	9. Chapter 9

Despite Halloween falling on a Monday, Headmistress McGonagall allowed the students to have a half-day of classes to celebrate the holiday. Although the air was slightly chilly that afternoon, the students loved this weather because it meant they could sport their house paraphernalia. An assortment of jumpers, scarfs, and hats gathered on the grassy knoll of the flying practice green, which was now dried and brown due to the cold weather.

The last activity that afternoon was a broomstick race for a selected few sixth and seventh years from each house. The students selected from Gryffindor was James Potter, Troy Charmer, Holly Piles, and Maddison Wood. From Slytherin, the riders selected were Gabriel Rosier, Aria Rowle, Mercy Burke, and Scorpious Malfoy. In the end, Scorpius had made it to the final two going up against James.

"What's going to happen if Jay loses?" asked Rose, watching with Al amongst the other Gryffindor students.

"He'll probably throw a fit," said Al, watching his brother interact with Troy and other members of the Quidditch team, which included his cousin Louis and sister Lily. "He hates to lose."

"I think he'll win," said Rose.

"We think Scorpius will win." Rose and Al jumped at the sound of two voices coming from behind them. It was the Scamander twins, Lorcan and Lysander, both Ravenclaw second years. The Scamander twins were fraternal, with Lorcan looking more like his mother Luna and Lysander favoring the Scamander side, almost resembling a young Newt Scamander.

"We believe Scorpius will fly faster due to the day," said Lysander.

"Sincepurebloods are energized on Halloween," said Lorcan, holding out a worn book with red leather binding.

"What in Merlin's beard supports that theory?" argued Rose.

"Ann Ackerant's Almanac," said Lorcan and Lysander.

"Look, it's starting!" said Al, pointing to the flying ground where James and Scorpius were hovering above the grassy knoll.

"Now," said Madam Hooch, to James and Scorpius. "You will fly to the trees outside the left of Quidditch field and complete a loop-the-loop without touching the trees. Then fly through the field and complete the Starfish and Stick. Finally, you must reach the other trees on the right side of the field. Once you're out from the trees, you must complete an Extreme Dive and Pull Up. This course should be completed in ten minutes top, so aim for that as the time completed."

"C'mon, Potter!" said Troy, cheering with his crew. "Smash the snake!"

"Mr. Charmer," said McGonagall with her shrill yet stern voice overpowering the cheers. "I will be selecting points for sportsmanship, so select your words wisely."

"You can do it, Scorpius!" cheered Juniper Parkinson amongst the Slytherins, holding up a cardboard sign with a black and white photo of Scorpius plastered on it,

"Oi," groaned Scorpius, shaking his head as he turned a visible shade of red.

"On your marks...get set...GO!" cried Madam Hooch. As she blow her whistle, cheers erupted from the crowd as James and Scorpius soared up into the autumnal sky.

Scorpius felt a gust of air hit his face as he reached the sky. As he flew his broom across the first set of trees, Scorpius kept his eyes on James, who was slightly ahead and had began to do the loop-the-loop. After playing many Quidditch matches against James, Scorpius knew James made his loops big so Scorpius figured a smaller loop would allow him to complete the first task quicker and get ahead of James.

"Jay's winning so far!" said Lily, pointing to Scorpius who had completed his loop-the-loop before James.

"No, now it's Malfoy!" said Finn Creevey, noticing that James was neck to neck with Scorpius again.

When both boys got to the Quidditch field, they managed to complete the next maneuver, the Starfish and Stick. The maneuver involved holding on to their brooms with one hand and one arm, a popular move for Keepers. While Scorpius managed to remount his broom, James wobbled a bit and lagged behind Scorpius, giving him a lead in the race.

"C'mon, Scorpius!" cried Al, as Rose bit her nails as she watched Scorpius.

Once Scorpius made it out of the second grouping of trees, he descended into the Extreme Dive. This was a move Scorpius done a thousand times and managed to touch the ground with ease. However, before he could fly back up to the sky, he noticed a figure in the field. Because Scorpius flew so fast on his broom, within seconds he noticed that he was getting closer to the figure. Although Scorpius could make out the figure's shape, he couldn't really notice any details other than some tattered black robes and white hair. Afraid to hit the figure, Scorpius turn his broom stick, but because he was close to the ground and flying so fast, Scorpius fell off his broom and tumbled into the field, landing face first on the hard ground.

Scorpius remained on the ground, slightly dazed from his tumble. Up ahead, Scorpius could hear cheers, meaning that James had won the race. When Scorpius looked up, he could see Rose and Al running towards him along with Madam Hooch.

"Mr. Malfoy!" said Madam Hooch, helped him up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," said Scorpius, brushing off the grass and dirt from his trousers and gloves. Despite having some cuts and scrapes on his face and hands, Scorpius was able to get out of that fall with very vew bumps and bruises.

"What happened?" asked Al, as Rose brushed off the dirt on Scorpius's back.

"I saw someone in the field," said Scorpius. "Or, at least I think it was a person - I thought I was about to crash into them, so I tried to dodge them."

"Oi! Malfoy!" yelled Troy Charmer, approaching him with his crew. "Looks like you need to go back to year one and learn how to fly properly!"

"Mr. Charmer, now's not the time for your insightful commentary," said Madam Hooch sternly, as Troy and his crew laughed at Troy's comment.

"Scorpius!" cried Juniper, running to him with open arms, with several other Slytherins behind her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Oh bloody hell," groaned Scorpius, as Juniper suffocated him in her arms. "You poor thing! Did that Potter boy hex you? If he did, I swear..."

"Jay didn't hex him," said Rose, annoyed by Juniper's emotional antics. "He would never cheat to win."

"Of course you would say that," said Juniper, getting in Rose's face. "Weasleys always defend their own."

"Honestly, Juniper, you're embarrassing yourself," huffed Rose, stepping forward to tower over Juniper.

"It's fine, Juniper," said Scorpius, awkwardly stepping in between the girls. "I just lost my focus, okay?" Juniper looked at Scorpius, then looked at Rose and sniffed her nose in the air as she walked off. As Juniper walked away, James approached Scorpius with a big grin on his face and a few Gryffindors tailing behind him, including Troy and the crew.

"What happened there, Malfoy?" asked James. "Saw a ghost?"

"Eh, maybe," said Scorpius.

"Ooh, Malfoy saw a ghost!" said Stanley, doing am impression of a ghost by waving his arms around and making loud sighing noises.

"We're at a school for _magic_, you prat," retorted Al. "Why wouldn't there be ghosts?"

"Jeez, mate, calm down," said James, taken back by Al's rude response.

"Yeah, Potter, laugh a little," said Troy, stepping in the middle of the students so that he was in between Al and James. "In fact, I haven't heard you say one thing to your brother about winning the match." At that comment, Al wanted to melt into the ground as students stared and whispered. Meanwhile, Jay looked at Al with an amused and slightly smug look on his face, not noticing his brother's anxiety.

"Congrats," mumbled Al, halfheartedly.

"Thanks," said James, also without conviction.

"And what about you, Rosie?" asked Troy, turning to Rose.

"Yes... well done, Jay," said Rose, wanting to hex Troy into oblivion.

"Hmm..." hummed Troy, rather loudly, before James could respond to Rose's comment. "I don't think you two really mean it. I think you two care more about your Slytherin friend here than your own house."

"Not at all!" said Rose, as their were murmurs amongst her housemates with a few exceptions.

"What is he doing?" asked Finn to Hugo.

"Taking the piss out of her," said Hugo. "And succeeding."

"Oh is it?" asked Troy. "Face it, you care more about Scorpius Malfoy than your own family."

"Bugger off, Troy" said Rose, her eyes staring at Troy like sharp daggers. Troy laughed at Rose, clearly undisturbed by her.

"What is all of this?" asked McGonagall, coming to clear up the crowd. "Mr. Malfoy, do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No. Headmistress," said Scorpius. "I'm fine."

"Good," said McGonagall. "Then everyone back to the castle for supper."

The crowd dispersed leaving James, Rose, Scorpius, and Al on the pitch in an awkward and tense silence. Rose could tell from James' face that he was hurt that the two of them had rushed out to see Scorpius rather than stay behind to congratulate him on his victory. In the past, Rose and Albus had always struggled with supporting their own house but also supporting Scorpius. In the past, James always appeared to be unbothered by this split. This was the first time Rose noticed this apprehension from James and it broke her heart to see him so hurt.

"Jay," said Rose. "I am happy for you, really, it's just..."

"You care about him more," retorted James, pointing his broomstick at Scorpius.

"No, Jay, please listen!" begged Rose.

"Look," said James. "I know you and Al don't like me because I'm a prat or something..."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jay!" cried Rose. "If that had been you, I would have darted out to that field!"

"Sure," said James, chortly.

"You're going to take that idiot's word over hers?" asked Al, raising his voice. "Troy is nothing but a bastard who wouldn't even save his own friends if they fell off their broomsticks. I can't keep track of all the times Rose saved your arse..."

"Oh shut up, Albus!" said James, throwing his broom to the ground. "Just because you're better than me doesn't mean you're right!

"Who said anything about me being better?" asked Albus, stunned to hear those words from Jay.

"Because you're the perfect son!" said James, his eyes dark with anger and bitterness. "You're smart and a Prefect and clearly Mum's favorite..."

"What?" cried Al, almost laughing at the absurdity of the statement. "You think Mum likes me more?"

"She always has!" said James, who ran his hands through his brown-ginger hair. "You know what? Nevermind, clearly you think I'm just some prat who doesn't deserve shite, so you can take your congratulations and shove it up your arse!"

"Oh, bugger off, you immature git!" yelled Al, as Jay threw his his broom at him.

"Jay!" cried Rose. "Please! Wait up!"

Scorpius just stood there in complete confusion and utter disbelief, as he reminded himself that there were perks to being an only child.


	10. Chapter 10

Meanwhile, on Halloween night, the Potters and Granger-Weasleys had gathered to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood around Grimmauld Place. The twins were dressed as the pirates Blackbeard and Redbeard. This year, Hazel had asked to be Cinderella. When Molly heard about the character choice, she immediately went to work create a lovely dress for her granddaughter. Meanwhile, Hattie went as a pumpkin, mainly because she didn't have an opinion on a Halloween costume at her age.

"Smile!" said Ginny, using her mobile to take a photo of the twins, Hazel, and Hattie. "Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" said the kids.

"Look at that, 'Mione - Mum is going to love this!" said Ginny, as she showed her phone to Hermione.

"Send that to me and Ron!" said Hermione, whose stomach had protruded out from the pregnancy.

"Let's go, Mum!" said Colin, pulling his mother. While Hermione and Ginny walked ahead with the Potter kids, Harry and Ron stayed back with Hattie.

"Shall we get some sweets?" asked Ron.

"No!" said Hattie, smiling cheekily.

"No?" asked Ron in such an over-exaggerated manner that it made Hattie laugh out loud. "But that's the best part!"

"Up! Up!" said Hattie, jumping up and down as she held on to their hands.

"Alright - ready?" asked Ron. "One - two - three!" Hattie squealed with delight as her uncle and father lifted her in the air.

"It's a flying pumpkin!" said Harry, as he and Ron placed Hattie back on the ground.

"Hattie, come here!" called Hermione. "Come get some sweets!" Ron and Harry laughed as Hattie's costume bounced as she ran on her little legs towards her mother.

The two friends watched as their kids went from door to door with their baskets while their respective partners followed behind. Harry personally cherished the moments like this where the families could get together. That fact that his kids plus Ron and Hermione's kids grew up together, with some becoming best friends like Al and Rose, filled Harry with joy and love. Harry wished every child had a chance to grow up with family around them to support and love them. Unfortunately, Harry knew that this was not a reality for some, and motivated him even more as an Auror to protect the most vulnerable persons and families.

"Ron," said Harry, turning to Ron. "You haven't heard anything from Draco, have you?"

"No, why?" asked Ron, a bit surprised at the question.

"No one's heard from him in a month," said Harry. "It's a bit concerning."

"Harry, you don't think he's dead, do you?" asked Ro.

"I'm going to pay a visit to the safehouse this week," said Harry. "I'm taking Creevey and Finnegan with me - right now, they're the only ones that I trust."

"Merlin," whistled Ron. "Is it that bad over in the department?"

"Afraid so, mate," said Harry, solemnly. "It's basically Shacklebolt leading one faction, and Jason Charmer leading another faction."

"That stupid git," growled Ron. "His son's not that far from the tree, either."

"Ron," said Harry. "You know we have enemies at the Ministry."

"No kidding," said Ron, surprised that Harry would assume that he didn't understand the severity of the situation.

"Here's the thing," said Harry. "I think it's best that you get a strong protective spell over your flat."

"Like what?" asked Ron.

"Like a blood boundary spell," said Harry, looking around at the crowd of people to see if anyone was listening.

Ron's eyes widened at that suggestion. A blood boundary spell was a huge gamble because it was an arcane spell. In fact, Ron knew that it had disappeared during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries because many felt it did not actually prevent the entry of those without the same blood.

"Those are risky, Harry," said Ron, looking at Hermione holding Hattie's hand as they asked for sweets. "I know Hermione has never been comfortable with those kinds of spells. She doesn't trust them."

"Ron, if anything happened to you or her or the kids, I would be crushed," said Harry, trying not to sound desperate. "Please, just talk to her about it."

"Fine," sighed Ron, not wanting to argue with Harry any further on the matter. "If it makes you feel any better, if I hear anything about Draco, from Scorpius or anyone, I'll tell you, alright?"

"Deal," said Harry.

"Dad! What are you doing?" called out Cedric, running to his father. "Hurry up!"

"Coming, Cedric," said Harry, as he let Cedric drag him and Ron back to where Hermione, Ginny, and the rest of the kids had stopped to wait for them.

"Anything you boys want to share with us?" said Ginny with raised eyebrows.

"Ugh, not now, Mum!" said Colin. "Can't we just trick-or-treat?"

"A fine idea," said Harry, putting a hand on each of his sons' shoulder to guide them to the next house, while Ginny held Hazel's hand and attempted to fix her puffy light blue dress.

"You and I will need to talk after the bug goes to bed," said Ron to Hermione, as he scooped up Hattie to carry her.

"Can it wait until the morning?" asked Hermione, starting to feel fatigue from the night.

" 'Mione," said Ron, almost pleading with her.

"Fine," said Hermione, putting her head on Ron's shoulder. Ron smiled at Hermione, then looked down at her bump and felt his heart overflow with happiness. Harry wasn't the only person who would be crushed if something happened to Hermione or the kids. _Maybe a blood protection spell is worth_, thought Ron, as the group approached another house for treat-or-tricking.


	11. Chapter 11

November came and with that came the much anticipated Gryffindor-Slytherin match. Prior to the game, music blasted in the Gryffindor common room as the students hyped themselves up with excitement. Now the mood was melancholy and solemn as the students dragged their feet into the room. For the first time in five years, Slytherin had defeated Gryffindor. Unfortunately, some Gryffinders were too confident in their predictions for the game. Most of the Gryffindor students were awkwardly standing around the room decorated with gold and crimson decorations while drinking lukewarm butter beer and pumpkin juice.

Al and Rose were leaning against one of walls drinking pumpkin juice from gold plastic cups. Although neither were interested in Quidditch, both knew this was a big game for James, who had been a Chaser since his second year and was the captain of the team. While Rose felt sympathetic to James, Albus didn't feel the same way.

"I told you Jay doesn't handle losing well," said Al to Rose, pointing to James sulking in one of the common room's big crimson armchairs while chatting to his friends Kieran Copper and Rory Finnigan. "Look at him! He's like Hazel when she doesn't get her own way!"

"I think he just wanted to end on a high note," said Rose, defending James' attitude. "Think about it Al - each year he's been on the team they won. This is the last time he'll play, and he's clearly gutted."

"It's just a bloody Quidditch game," snapped Al, frankly annoyed at the fact that people felt sorry for James for simply losing a game. "He'll be fine tomorrow."

"Maybe to you it's a game," retorted Rose, bothered by Al's unsympathetic mood. "But it means something different to Jay."

"Whatever," said Al, sipping his drink. At that response, Rose got up from where she was sitting with Al. "Where are you going?" asked Al.

"To see Jay," snapped Rose, making Al's hand tremble slightly at the harsh tone of her voice. "His attitude may not be great, but yours is dreadful!" Al watched as his Rose walked over to talk to James, however she was still fuming at Al's callous response and stormed her way over to James. Several students who knew Rose well knew that her temper was something to fear, and many dodged her as she charged through the common room.

"What did you say to her?" asked Lexie Thomas to Al.

"Nothing!" insisted Al.

"Well, clearly you did!" argued Lexie. "She's got that bothered look again!"

Rory and Kieran immediately stopped talking to James when Rose approached them. The first thing Rose noticed was that James' normally bright eyes were dimmed like house lights. Rose also saw that James was not smiling, which was unusual and distressing as James always found the positive and fun in any situation. Any frustration Rose felt for Al was replaced with sympathy for James.

"Hey," said Rose, awkwardly as she sat on the arm of the chair.

"Hey," said James.

"You played brilliantly, Jay," said Rose, trying to cheer up her cousin.

"Thanks," said James, half-heartedly.

"She's right, Potter," said Troy, who leaned against the armchair. Troy was a Beater on the team and had appointed himself as a "co-captain" to the team, much to the chagrin of everyone but James. Normally, James tolerated Troy's arrogant and smug comments, however Rose could tell that James did not have the patience to deal with Troy

"I mean, we did well," said James, never willing to blame a bad game on anyone.

"But you _smashed_ it," insisted Troy. "Which is not a surprise, since you and I care more about this game than the others." At that remark, Rose saw a frown appear on James' face and his eyes shrink as he glared at Troy.

"Look, mate," said Troy. "Polly's form was subpar today, Sam can barely fly in a straight line, Maddie's only one the team because of her dad, Louis was rubbish as a Beater, and I know she's your sister, but Lily's just not ready for this team..."

"Troy," said James, in a monotone yet frustrated voice. "Just shut up already!"

"What?" asked Troy, incredibly clueless about his remarks. "Was it the part about Lily?"

"Pretty sure it was all of that, you knob!" yelled Kieran.

"Yeah, you basically pissed all over the team," said Rory.

"Potter and I are captains," said Troy, defensively as the team members who overheard the remarks crowded around the armchair. "As captains, we're allowed to critique the players..."

"No, _Jay_ is the captain," said Louis. "You are _not_ and have _never been_ the captain."

Just then, James got up from his chair and walked away from the group. At that point, he didn't want to be around people or hear their opinions, whether it was Rose trying to give a pep talk or Troy giving his worthless and rude opinions.

Al was still in the same place as he was before, but this time talking to Lexie and Anjali. James was about to walk past them to go to his dorms, but when Lexie and Anjali moved to avoid being in the way of James, Al merely stood against the wall. Just as James was about to open the door, Al decided to not stay silent and give his own opinion about the match to James.

"You know it's just a game, right?" said Al to James, rather bluntly. That remark was the catalyst to spark James into a rage

"Shut it, Al!" barked James, getting in his brother's face. "I don't want to hear your bloody thoughts on Quidditch! Just leave me alone, all right?

"Merlin's beard!" cried out Stanley. "Who invited the snakes here?" The common room tensed up as Scorpius entered with the Slytherin team, who were still dressed in their green and silver robes, plus a few stragglers, including Juniper.

"What do you want, snakes?" asked Troy, as he and his crowd formed a barricade in front of Scorpius.

"Is James here?" asked Scorpius, surveying the room.

"Piss off, Malfoy!" said Bruno. "No one asked you to be here!"

"I bet Rosie invited him here for a victory song," suggested Kyra, as Rose's cheeks turned red.

"Don't be daft, you blonde bimbo!" responded Rose.

"Nobody asked me to be here," said Scorpius. "Like I said, I'm looking for Jay."

"What do you want, Malfoy?" asked James, walking forward from where he was standing with Albus.

"I have something for you," said Scorpius, noticing James was not in a pleasant mood. "You've been playing Quidditch longer than any of us. After talking it over, the team agreed - we want you to have this." Scorpius reached in his robe's pocket and pulled out a snitch. The room gasped at the sight of the little gold ball, hovering over Scorpius's hand.

"You're giving me the snitch?" asked James, still a little uncertain about the generous gesture. "Are you having a laugh with me?"

"Not at all," said Scorpius, shaking his head. "This was your last ever Gryffindor-Slytherin game. And the game snitch usually goes to _someone_..."

"Take the bleeding snitch, Jay!" yelled Hugo.

With that, James's face loosened up and a huge grin grew across his face. James reached his hand out to the snitch to grasp it and his free hand out to Scorpius to shake and pull him in to pat his back. With that, the room exploded into cheers, with Troy and his gang and a few Gryffindors, the common room to avoid being around Slytherins.

"Right," said Jay, now back to his joyous self. "How 'bout some Exploding Snap?" And with that, a party was in full swing as music began to play and students started to laugh again. As the celebration took full swing, Scorpius turned to Rose and Al, giving them a lopsided smile and shrugging his shoulder.

"Do you tell him to do that, Rosie?" asked Al.

"Not at all!" said Rose, throwing her arms around Scorpius. "Oh, Scorpius! That was wonderful!"

"Well, thanks, mate," said Al, smiling at his friend. "You definitely saved the day!"

"Um, thanks!" said Scorpius, slowly and almost cautiously returning the hug.

"Scorpius, let's go!" said Juniper, dragging him out before he could say good-bye to his friends. As Rose and Al looked back at the party happening behind them, they felt the cheery spirit from the room. Despite their lack of interest in Quidditch, both of them were excited for the rest of the afternoon to enjoy themselves and their housemates.

"Well, cheers to another game," said Rose, raising her plastic gold cup half full of lukewarm butterbeer.

"Cheers," said Al, clinking his cup against hers.


	12. Chapter 12

Despite their involvement with Rose's kidnapping and the ambush at Dover Street, somehow Beaker and Woolsworth were still working at the Ministry over Harry and Shacklebolt's objections. Harry had refused to give them anymore assignments related to hiding or protecting families, as he could no longer trust them. About a month ago, the director of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol Jason Charmer asked them to join his department to be Hit Wizards.

Now, they were in the Forest of Dean on a special assignment by Charmer to look for any potential hidden wizards and witches who may have escaped their safe homes. The Aurors had noticed that about forty wizards and witches have been reported missing since the safehouses were started in May. Although Charmer had not given any instructions for approaching the missing witches and wizards, he had specifically told Beaker and Woolsworth that if any wizard or witch attacked them, then they could use as much force as necessary to subdue them.

"I'm freezing my arse off," said Beaker. "How can any hid out in this?"

"That makes our job easier," said Woolsworth, smoking a cigarette. "A frozen snake is a good snake."

"We don't even know if there are any snakes out here," said Beaker, kicking some twigs and leaves in his path.

"Check the Anderson shelters..." said Woolsworth. Just before Woolsworth could finish his thought, he fell face first into the ground, completely stiff as a board.

"What the - ?" said Beaker, who felt something wrapped around his neck. As he gasped for air, Beaker attempted to loosen the rope around his neck, causing him to fall on his knees to the ground. Just then, Beaker felt a hand grab his hair and a noticed a wand tapping the rope.

"Who...are...you?" asked Beaker, his voice dried from the lack of air.

"Where is Scorpius Malfoy?" asked a voice.

"Who's..asking?" said Beaker, who felt the rope tighten around his neck.

"_Where_ _is he? _asked the voice, more sternly this time.

"With...Ron...Weasley!" wheezed Beaker. Just then, Beaker felt the ropes loosen and he could breathe again. As he turned to check on Woolsworth, who still laid on the ground unconscious, Beaker turned to see who had choked him.

"_Obliviate_," said the voice, before Beaker could pick up his wand and attack.

* * *

"Hermione," said Lara, nervously. "Jason Charmer wishes to speak with you."

"Send him in, Lara," said Hermione. Although Hermione did not want to meet with Jason, she knew that Jason was someone who would continue to pester until he got his way. _Might as well get on with it,_ thought Hermione, as the door to her office opened.

There was Jason Charmer, dressed in his elegant crimson robes with gold accents with wavy light brown hair shaped around his face. Jason always stood with his chest out and shoulders back, plus his usual smug smile across his face.

"Hermione," said Jason, with a smooth voice and arms open as he walked to sit in front of her desk. "May I say, you are absolutely glowing right now."

"I wish you wouldn't say that," retorted Hermione. "Especially since you and I are not on the same page when it comes to certain employees at the Ministry."

"Are you still sour about Woolsworth and Beaker?" asked Jason, sitting in a chair with his legs crossed and hands pressed together.

"Of course I am! They attacked my daughter!" responded Hermione, staring back at Jason as she closed the file she was working on.

"Troy said Rose is doing quite well," said Jason, very casually. "It sounds like she's still hanging out with Potter's son and the Malfoy boy."

"What do you want, Jason?" asked Hermione, impatient with his attempts at small-talk.

"Well, this morning, I had sent Woolsworth and Beaker out for a mission," said Jason. "And when we found them, the poor blokes couldn't remember who or where they were..."

"Someone obliviated their memories?" said Hermione.

"It would appear to be so," said Jason. "Nevertheless, I find this very distressing, and you should be as well, as one of the deputies of the department."

"It is distressing," said Hermione. "Because we still haven't caught the person who is responsible for all of these disappearances and deaths."

"Which means that Hogwarts has become a target," said Jason. "And anyone out there who is killing all of these families and kidnapping these hidden wizards isn't going to just ignore Hogwarts..."

"What are you saying, Jason?" asked Hermione. "Are you asking me to agree to an increase in security?"

"Hermione, think about it," said Jason, attempting to grab Hermione's hand before she pulled it back from his grasp. "My son is there, your children are there...their lives are not worth risking to protect the few whose lives are endangered..."

"No," said Hermione, firmly.

"Good," said Jason. "'I'm glad we're finally on the same page about something..."

"No," retorted Hermione. "We are absolutely_ not_ on the same page, Jason, because I will not have any student removed from Hogwarts, even the Slytherin students that you despise."

"Oh, Hermione," said Jason, leaning back in the chair. "Why must you be so noble and brave? And for what? A few children whose families despise your own Muggle status? You'd rather protect the life of Scorpius Malfoy over your three soon to be four children?"

"Jason," said Hermione, standing up from her chair. "It's not a question of choice. Ron and I will defend Scorpius and our children. As Deputy of Magical Enforcement, it is my duty to ensure that _all_ wizards and witches are protected. So no, we will _not _remove students from Hogwarts, and that is my final word, understood?"

There was an awkward pause of tense silence before Jason nodded his head.

"Very well, Hermione," said Jason, shaking and getting up from the chair. "I was hoping to convince you..."

"You know, Jason, you're not as bright as you think you are," said Hermione, sitting back down. "Now, unless you have anything else clever or intelligent to say, please leave my office."

"In that case, good day to you," said Jason, bowing his head as he left the office.

Hermione sighed as she took a deep breath to relax herself. Her doctor, Justin Finch-Fletchley, had advised her to keep calm and not become too agitated, as it might heighten her pregnancy symptoms and upset the baby.

"I'm sorry," whispered Hermione, as she rubbed her bump. "But to be fair, he is a bit of a numpty!"


	13. Chapter 13

"I'm telling you, Rosie, you have to _crush _the leaves," said Scorpius.

"And I'm telling you, Scorpius, you have to _slice_ the leaves," argued Rose.

"Again, you're both right," groaned Al. "Professor Longbottom said it didn't matter how the leaves are distributed since they will dissolve regardless!"

"Merlin, it's so cold!" said Rose, nuzzling her chin into her house scarf. "Why did we come outside?"

"Well, _you _thought it would be a good idea to be outside," retorted Scorpius. "Because according to you, we had castle fever!"

"_Cabin_ fever," said Rose, rather haughtily. "Honestly, Scorpius, you never listen!"

"Oi..." groaned Albus as he continued to listen to Rose and Scorpius bicker endlessly.

The trio walked through the courtyard on a cold November afternoon after Herbology with Professor Longbottom. All of the fireplaces at the school were now in full use so a soft warmth carried through the castle, much to the chagrin of Mr. Filch. The Christmas holiday was still another month away but already Molly and Arthur had already invited to Scorpius to spend the holiday at the Burrow. The thought of spending Christmas was Rose and A excited Scorpius, as he always loved hearing about the Weasley-Potter when they returned from the holiday.

"AL!" cried Lily, running out to the courtyard with Iris and Evie in tow.

"Lily? What's wrong?" asked Al, concerned at Lily's panicked tone.

"Jay's fighting with Troy in the galley!" said Lily.

"Find McGonagall," said Al to his sister, running past her to the galley with Rose and Albus behind.

As he approached the galley, Al could hear the loud rancor from students echoing from the corridor. As Albus pushed his way through the crowd, he found James being held in a choke-hold by Troy Charmer. Meanwhile, Stanley and Bruno stood on each side with arms folded as they watched the fight ensue.

"Kyra, do something!" called out Albus when he spot her. However, Kyra simply snarled at him and turned away.

"C'mon, Potter! Had enough?" asked Troy to Jay, who was trying to get out of his choke-hold.

"LEAVE HIM!" yelled Albus, fed up that no one was doing anything to stop the fighting. Using all of his strength, Albus pushed Troy which loosened Troy's grip over James. James stumbled to the ground after being released, but now Troy was throwing punches at Albus. Rose and Scorpius tried to intervene but were blocked by the horde of students surrounding the brawl.

"What's wrong with you?!" yelled Albus as he blocked the punches. At that remark, Troy pushed Al up against a wall, making several students gasp in horror.

"Get off him!" yelled James, who was being held back by Stanley and Bruno.

"You want to know _why_ I want to beat you and your brother's arses right now?" said Troy, pushing Al harder against the wall. "Because your father just _arrested_ my father for conspiracy!"

Just then, Al felt Troy let go of him as James managed to get out of Stanley and Bruno's grasps and pull Troy off of Al. Once again, James and Troy began to fight again, with Al attempting to get Troy off of James.

"That is quite enough Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Charmer!" yelled McGonagall, as the students surrounding the fight fell silent from fear of the Headmistress.

"Headmistress, Jay and Al were beating up Troy!" cried Kyra, pointing at the Potter brothers.

"Well, Miss Ballington, I see you very pro-active in preventing this predicament," said McGonagall, as Kyra looked down in embarassment at being called out. "The three of you in my office, _now_."

"Yes, Headmistress," grumbled the three boys following behind her.

* * *

Scorpius and Rose were waiting for Al to come out of the Headmistress's office. When they heard footsteps, both stood up to see if it was Albus walking out, which to Rose and Scorpius's relief it was both Albus and James both walking together.

"Well?" asked Rose.

"Was she easy on you two?" asked Scorpius.

"We're all getting detention for a week," said Albus. "And I'm on probation for being in a fight as a Prefect."

"What does that mean?" asked Rose.

"Basically, I can't take away points from others," said Albus. "Or get myself out of detention."

"What happened. Jay?" asked Scorpius.

"Dad arrested Troy's father today for conspiracy," said James. "I guess they had evidence that he was using Ministry funds to support the activities that were happening at Dover Street. Anyway, I was walking with Rory when all of the sudden I felt my head go back. The next thing I remember was Troy yelling at me, but I don't remember exactly what he said..."

Rose cleared her throat loudly as Troy walked towards the group, who were all on guard even though Troy was without his squad.

"Just you wait, Potters," said Troy, looking at both James and Albus. "Your father will pay for what he's done..."

"Our father has done nothing wrong," retorted James. "Our dad's a good man!"

"You're all just a bunch of snakelovers..." laughed Troy, rudely.

"Whatever, mate," huffed James. "You're not worth it, really."

"So, it's official, you're siding with the nerds?" asked Troy to James, gesturing towards the trio.

"You bet," said James. "I don't want nothing to do with a prat like you."

"Fine," said Troy. "Enjoy the snakes." As Troy walked away, he purposely bumped into Scorpius's shoulder as he walked while the Potter brothers, Rose, and Scorpius stared at him with cold and unforgiving eyes.

"Wow," said James, shaking his head. "I can't believe I actually though of him as a friend."

"Now do you believe us?" asked Al. "We've only been telling you this for ages..."

"Really, Al?" asked Rose.

"No, it's fine, Rosie. As much as I hate to admit it, Al's right," said James. "I was stupid to believe him over you lot."

"Yes, you were," agreed Al, as Rose nudged his shoulder. "I mean, are you okay, Jay?"

"Yeah, I think so," said James. "I'm just...gonna grab some dinner."

"Same," said Scorpius. "We'll join you."

"I don't need bodyguards, if that's what you're thinking," snapped James.

"If you think for one second that Troy and his lot aren't planning to ambush you, you are being naive!" responded Rose.

For once, Al didn't see the confident James that he was used to seeing for so many years. Instead, for the first time since Al could remember, James looked defeated.

"Actually," said Al, turning to Rose and Scorpius. "I need to show you guys some real quick, for Herbology before I forget."

"Now?" huffed Rose.

"Yes," insisted Al. "We'll catch you later, Jay." Jay, looking slightly confused, simply nodded his head as he walked away from the trio.

"Well, what it is?" asked Rose. "What do you need to show us..."

"Um...that the leaves are actually sliced..." said Albus, looking through his satchel for his Herbology book.

"HA! I knew it!" said Rose, jumping triumphantly. "Now, can we please grab something to eat?"

"Yeah, sure," said Al, looking at Scorpius, who nodded his head in understanding.

James needed to be alone and collect his thoughts. Al was merely stalling to allow James a head start so they weren't hovering over him. It was rare for Al to pity his brother. Today, that all changed as James saw Troy's true colours. This realization was enough for Al to see his brother in a better light.

"I believe this where you say that Rose was right about James," whispered Scorpius to Al.

"She already knows," said Al, watching his cousin skip down the hallway after proving she was right about slicing the leaves.


	14. Chapter 14

As Ron and Hermione walked of Hermione's scan with their doctor Justin Finch-Fletchleyt, Ron couldn't help but notice the Daily Prophet on one of the tables in the waiting room. The front page story that morning was that Jason Charmer was arrested for conspiracy.

"You think this was the right thing to do?" asked Ron, pointing at the picture showing Charmer being escorted out of the Ministry.

"He's a dangerous man, Ron," said Hermione. "It had to be done."

"Oh, Hermione!" called out Justin, holding a small leatherbound book. "I looked into it, and I think these spells could work."

"Thank you, Justin," said Hermione, taking the book from. "I really appreciate it."

"No worries," said Justin. "By the way, I think what you and Ron are doing is brilliant - we need more people like you. I'll see you at your next scan."

"Cheers, mate," said Ron, reaching out and shaking his hand. As the two walked out of the office and waited for the Knight Bus, Ron not very discreetly took the book out of Hermione's purse and began to thumb through it.

"Ronald!" hissed Hermione. "Put that back!"

"Blood spells, eh?" said Ron. "So, you are considering a blood boundary spell on the flat?"

"Well," said Hermione, a bit flustered as she took the book back from Ron. "I did some reading during my lunch breaks and, as I suspected, many of the blood boundary spells are simply barbaric, requiring copious amounts of blood to create the protective boundary. I figured there had to be a way without so much blood and mess, so I reached out to Justin and asked him for his advice."

Just as they arrived to the bus stop, the Knights Bus pulled up and both of them entered into the tightly packed comportant, making it difficult for Hermione to find a seat.

"Ah, Weasley and the Missus," said a voice familiar to the two of them. It was Bors Dearborn, a member of the Order who also worked at the Ministry in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Dearborn was a decade older than Ron and Hermione, but his long brown beard and hair added addition years to his face. He often wore dark and worn robes plus heavy brown boots since he was outside around creatures so much. As for his personality, he was slightly shy and not the most inept in social situations, but nevertheless he was nice and considerate to everyone he met.

"Hello, Bors," said Hermione. "Where are you off to?"

"It's my day off," said Bors, getting up from the seat he had been in previously and offering it to Hermione. "I've been running around to the shops all day - haven't had time with this whole bloody mess. What about you two?"

"Doctors' appointment," said Ron.

"Ah, yes - the little Weasley to-be," nodded Bors. "All is well?"

"Yes," said Hermione, getting up as the bus was now approaching the Ministry.

"Well, nice to see you both," said Bors, tipping his hat as Ron helped Hermione off the bus. "See you soon, hopefully."

"What a daft little man," said Ron, as the bus zoomed away into the London traffic.

"He's just a little...awkward," said Hermione. "But he's harmless!"

"You know, we can always move," said Ron, returning to their previous conversation before the bus. "We might need more space anyway with the baby and Hattie plus the older two might want to stay with us after Hogwarts…"

"Ron, I don't want to move," insisted Hermione. "I love our flat. We've been there since Rose was born - I want to raise all of my children in that flat!"

"Alright, 'Mione," sighed Ron, knowing he was not going to win the argument. "When the kids get home from term, we'll do the blood boundary spell."

"I'll see you when I get home," said Hermione, as she gave Ron a quick kiss on his cheek.

"See you later," said Ron, as he turned around to walk to a telephone box to apparate to his office.

As Ron walked to the box, he noticed a reflection in the glass that looked familiar to him and the sight of the person made Ron tense up. However, in the blink of an eye, the figure disappeared from the reflection, making Ron tremble slightly as he opened the telephone booth.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hermione had walked back to her office, but she noticed that Lara had a nervous look on her face as Hermione walked past the secretary's desk.

"Hermione, the Minister is in there with Ulysses Gamp and Harry Potter," said Lara.

Hermione walked into her office and sure enough, she saw Gamp, Shacklebolt, and Harry in her office. Gamp, a stout man with chronic respiratory issues and greasy red cheeks, had made himself comfortable in Hermione's chair, while Kingsley stood next to him on the left and Harry leaned against the bookshelf on the right.

"What's all of this?" asked Hermione, sternly.

"Hermione," said Shacklebolt. "We feel it is best, for your health and safety..."

"Your services are no longer needed," said Gamp getting to the point. "I will be taking over as Deputy of the department, given your...current state."

"You're firing me because I'm _pregnant_?" asked Hermione, approaching Gamp like a lioness stalking her prey.

"Ms. Granger," said Gamp, standing up to look up at Hermione, who was staring into Gamp's beady black eyes. "Please don't make this harder than it needs to be..."

"This is because of my husband, isn't it?" retorted Hermione.

"Hermione," said Shacklebolt, firmly. "These are dangerous times, and you are in a vulnerable state..."

"You're actually siding with him?" asked Hermione incredulously, pointing to Gamp. "After all I've done for you? And what about you, Harry?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione," sighed Harry.

Finally at her breaking point, Hermione grabbed a quill and signed a parchment with the words "I Quit". Once she threw her quill on her desk, she picked up her satchel and stormed out of her office, giving the three men a stone-faced death stare. Without saying good-bye to anyone, Hermione walked out of the Ministry with such force that anyone who may have been in her way would have been trampled. Once outside the Ministry, Hermione disapparated to Grimmauld Place, with Harry appearing shortly thereafter.

"Well?" asked Hermione, eager to hear the aftermath of her departure from the Ministry.

"You were brilliant, Hermione!" said Harry. "Gamp's completely convinced that Shacklebolt and I are on his side in removing you from the Ministry".

"Thank goodness," sighed Hermione. Hermione's departure had been planned out so that she could devote her time to spying on Charmer's supporters, hiding families, and deducting what the other side is planning for their next attack.

"Now I can help you and the other Aurors out more without worrying about unnecessary paperwork or deadlines," said Hermione.

"More importantly..." said Harry.

"Yes, I know, Harry," said Hermione, patting her stomach. "Honestly, everyone needs to stop treating me like I'm some fragile doll. I know what I'm doing!"

"Yes, Hermione," said Harry, rolling his eyes at her stubbornness.


	15. Chapter 15

"Over here!" said Rose, waving to her father as she, Hugo, and Scorpius walked towards Ron onto Platform 9 and 3/4's, while Al had exited the train on another car with his siblings. Upon seeing his daughter, Ron started grinning ear-to-ear as he walked towards them through the crowd of reunited students and their families.

"Where's Mum and the little monster?" asked Hugo.

"Both taking a kip," said Ron. "Hattie has been stroppy all day and your poor mum was knackered from dealing with her."

"So, are we having takeaway tonight?' asked Hugo.

"Hugo!" said Rose, taking her knitted cap and slappin his shoulder.

"Oi! It's a joke, you lunatic!" retorted Hugo.

"Oh bollocks!" groaned Scorpius, referring to Ulysses Gamp and Troy Charmer walking over to the group. Immediately Ron's grin dissolved into a frown. Rose felt her father's hand's tighten around her shoulders just as she felt her hands nearly ball up into fists.

"Hello, Weasley," said Gamp.

"Ulysses Gamp," said Ron curtly. "What are you doing here, you miserable little toad?"

"Well, since your friend Potter had this poor boy's father wrongfully imprisoned," said Gamp. "He will be staying at my place until his father is placed on house-arrest."

"House-arrest?" asked Rose incredulously. "Why should he be allowed on house-arrest?"

"Because he's never been in trouble before, my dear," replied Ulysses. "There's no reason why he can't spend Christmas with his son.

"It's such a _shame_ to not have your father home for Christmas," mocked Troy looking directly at Scorpius.

"Anyways," said Gamp, still ignoring Scorpius and looking up at Ron. "I hope the Weasley-Grangers have a _brilliant_ Christmas."

"Sod off, Gamp," said Ron through his teeth. At that remark, Gamp gave a small laugh as he and Troy walked off, with Troy making a rude gesture.

"What a git," said Hugo. Normally, Rose would not have let Hugo say those words, but in this case she absolutely agreed with the statement.

* * *

On Christmas Eve, Molly Weasley panicked because she was missing some ingredients for the Christmas dinner. Rose volunteered herself, Al, and Scorpius to do the shopping in Ottery St. Catchpole.

The village was decorated their shops and homes with green garlands, red ribbons, and brassy bells. There was still some snow on the ground from the week prior, which was now a crunchy layer on the cobblestones streets. The flames from the street-lamps and candles in the windowsills illuminated the snow and turned the dark sky a deep navy color.

"Do we have everything?" asked Al, as Rose rummaged through the parcel he was carrying.

"Yes," said Rose, double-checking Al's bag. "We can head back now...wait, where's Scorpius?"

"Bloody hell," groaned Al, looking around for the boy. "Why did he choose tonight of all nights to wander off?"

"You check the town square, I'll check the end of the street," said Rose, running off to the other decorations.

Al was glad he wore his knitted green scarf and grey wool cap since the frigid air stung his cheeks. All he wanted was to get back to Burrow, put on his pyjamas, and drink warm Butterbeer with his cousins and siblings around the fire.

As Al walked into the town square, he could hear singing from the town's church. The church was a small space with a stocky bell tower and rusty red roof. The windows were the only bits of colour coming from the church. When he approached the center, which was empty as most people were inside on this chilly night, Al could see that the church doors were open. The warm and yellow light flooded out of the church, and within that light, Al could see a figure standing outside the door looking inside.

As he got closer to the church, Al could hear the soft and sweet sound of the choir, and the words become clearer.

_Sweet child, born new_

_I am here for you_

_There is no need to fear_

_For sweet child, I am here_

_And wherever you are_

_Look upon the Star_

_For my child, I am here_

_There is no need to fear_

_"_Scorpius?" asked Al, putting his hand on the back of Scorpius's black peacoat.

Scoprius didn't move or flinch as he felt his heart fill with sadness and hope. This was the first Christmas without them. Even though Scorpius didn't have siblings or close family members, somehow his parents always made Christmas special. When Scorpius was little, Draco took Scorpius sledding after a giant snow storm. They went up and down the hill so many times that Scorpius and Draco both fell asleep by the fireplace. The thought that somewhere in the country, perhaps his parents were thinking about those Christmases as well, made Scorpius hopeful of seeing them again one day.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Al, noticing his friend's red and watery eyes.

"Yea, fine," said Scorpius, rubbing his eye into his arm. "I miss them, Al."

"I know," said Al, feeling bad that Scorpius felt so alone on Christmas.

Just then, Rose joined them after her initial search of the shops down the street. When Rose saw Al and Scorpius outside the church, she refrained from yelling and calling their names. Rose could hear the music from the church, and even though she couldn't hear the words, she knew better than to ruin the serene scene surrounding the square. Quietly, Rose approached the boys, both entranced by the choir's vocals.

"How you ever been to a Christmas Eve Mass, Scorpius?" asked Rose.

"No," said Scorpius, softly. "No, I haven't."

"No one should be alone on Christmas," said Rose as she wrapped her right arm around Scorpius's left arm and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Which is why you have us," said Al, resting his left arm on Scorpius's right shoulder.

"Thanks," said Scorpius, still enthralled by the haunting yet beautiful music.

_For my child, I am here_

_There is no need to fear_


	16. Chapter 16

"It's blasphemous the way they're treating you, Jason!" said Gamp, pouring himself a glass of brandy in Jason's office. As Gamp and Troy predicted, Jason was put on house-arrest and returned to the Charmer Chateau for the holidays.

"Now Gampy, you're getting far too riled up," said Charmer, who was sitting in a red leather chaise in his chateau's study. "The healers don't want to revive you from another heart attack."

"It's absurd that you had to spend one day in Azkaban while Draco Malfoy can do whatever he wants to!" said Gamp, his face turning dark red. "Especially after what his family did!"

"What about the Potters and Weasleys?" asked Troy as he sipped his hot butterbeer. "They think they can do whatever they want to! It's completely unfair - "

"Troy, if I wanted your opinion, I will ask you!" snapped Jason.

"Sorry," mumbled Troy.

"Troy's right, Jason," said Gamp. "What are we going to do about those blasted wizards?"

Jason gave a little laugh as he sipped his brandy. "Don't worry, Gampy. I can assure you, they are going to have a merry and _bright_ Christmas."

* * *

This year, the Potters, Ron's family, Teddy Lupin, Charlie, and George spent Christmas with at Burrow. The next day, George's kids Freddie and Roxy arrived after spending Christmas with Angelina and her family as well as Bill's family.

Anytime George could show off his pyrotechnic skills, he made sure to take full advantage of the chance. That evening, he had prepared a fireworks show for the family and close friends to celebrate the holidays which included Shacklebolt, the Longbottoms, and Luna and her twins. Even Seamus couldn't pass up an opportunity to be around fire and gladly assisted George with his fireworks while his son Rory hung out with James. As George and the Finnegans prepared for the fireworks, the family had bundled up with some drinking warm Butterbeer while others had mulled wine or Firewhiskey.

"I'm so glad you invited us to this," said Luna, who was sitting on a log in between Hermione and Ginny. "It's a good distraction for the boys. I think this has been a particularly difficult Christmas for them"

"You're being far too calm about this, Luna," huffed Ginny. " After what Rolf treated you these past two years - for him to spring a divorce on you _after_ he starts taking another girl out, and make that relationship public!"

"Yes, it was most unfortunate," said Luna. "But he's happier now, and I'm fine with that, because I'm happier as well." Ginny and Hermione looked at each other in stunned silence. Although Luna's indifferent attitude was not surprising to either Hermione or Ginny, they were still surprised that she was handling her divorce to Rolf in great stride. If Ron or Harry had done what Rolf did, Hermione and Ginny would have throw them out of the window.

"We're here for you if you or the twins need anything," said Hermione, patting Luna's knee.

"Thank you, Ms. Granger," said Lorcan and Lysander, suddenly appearing behind Hermione and Ginny.

"Bloody hell!" yelled Ginny as she and Hermione nearly fell off their broomsticks.

"Thanks for inviting us, Harry," said Neville, as the two of them stood together drinking Firewhiskey while their younger kids played with Hannah supervising. "It's nice to get the kids out of the castle once and awhile."

"Of course, Neville," said Harry. "It gives Ginny and Hermione a chance to see their goddaughters as well, so anytime we can involve your clan over, they insist on you and Hannah joining."

"Cheers to that, mate," said Neville, as he and Harry toasted to their friendship.

"Right, whose ready to see some fireworks?" called George, which was met by a raucous roar of applause from the kids as well as teenagers.

"Wait 'til you see these fireworks, Malfoy," said James, nudging his elbow to Scorpius' shoulder. "Uncle George makes the best displays."

"I heard the Queen invited him do her Diamond Jubilee," chimed Rory. Al rolled his eyes at this preposterous idea, only to be met by Rose clearing her throat at him.

"Ready? And three...two...one...GO!" cried George.

At that, several bright lights illuminating the sky above the spectators, which lead to the kids and adults bursting into applause. The gold and white lights sparkled in the sky, creating giant snowflakes that fizzled out into sparks falling like shooting stars from the sky.

Soon, the colours changed to red and green, with the fireworks creating individual holly branches. Eventually, these holly branches came together to form a giant Christmas tree.

"Isn't it lovely?" asked Rose, who stood between Albus and Scorpius.

Scorpius looked at Rose's face as the light from the fireworks reflected off of it, making her red hair brighter and showing off the redness of her cheeks.

"Really lovely," said Scorpius, softly smiling and lovingly looking at Rose.

"You mean the lights, right Scorpius?" teased Albus.

"Hattie, look at the pretty colours!" said Hermione, pointing to the fireworks as she held Hattie. Ron couldn't help but noticed that Hattie was looking up but kept looking behind Hermione's shoulder. Curious, Ron looked behind to see what Hattie was looking at.

Ron peered up at the sky trying to see if there was anything. As he stared up at the sky for a bit longer, he began to notice a small crimson light that slowly grew bigger the more Ron looked at it. Then, the crimson colour turned to a bright green light, which made Ron's spine shiver and shoulders tense up.

"GET DOWN!" yelled Ron, pulling out his wand.


	17. Chapter 17

Bricks flew across the roof as the green light struck the Burrow. Ron immediately cast a protective charm around Hermione and Hattie as some bricks spun towards them as fast as a rocket. The initial cheers of joys were now screams of fear from the children and panicked cries from the adults trying to fight back. As they landed on the ground, the orange lights sky transformed crimson robed figures with gold masks.

One of those figures appeared before Lily and Hazel. Just as the the figure raised his wand to attack the girls, Albus managed to stun the figure.

"Albus, Lily, you're in charge of the twins and Hazel!" cried Harry.

"C'mon, Al!" said Lily, as she picked up Hazel. Albus and Lily shuffled their younger siblings inside as their parents and James joined the fight. Hannah directing her children and the Scamander twins inside while Neville and Luna joined the fray. Most of the adults had joined the battle with Molly and Arthur shielding those seeking cover. Hermione tried to move quickly, however being pregnant, carrying a toddler, and running was not an easy task for her.

"Protego!" cried Hugo as he shielded Hermione and Hattie from a wayward spell. Arthur left Molly to handle the door as he escorted Hermione inside. Once everyone was inside, Molly shut the door and dimmed the lights.

With the exception of Evie, all of the Longbottom children were crying as they huddled close to their mother. Meanwhile, Albus and Lily tried to calm down Hazel, who was screaming for her parents and the Potter twins stood next to their grandfather frozen with fear. Even the Scamander twins looked somewhat rattled by the events that just happened as they fidgeted on the bottom steps of the stairs.

"Bloody hell, who are those creeps?" asked Hugo standing near the door.

"Did you see what they were wearing?" asked Lily.

"Is everyone here?" asked Hermione soothing a distraught Hattie.

"I think so," said Albus.

"Mum," said Evie with her face white as a sheet. "Where's Iris?"

Albus and Lily's faces dropped when they realized that they could not see their sister. Before Molly and Arthur could stop him, Albus had sprinted out of the Burrow to look for her. When Albus appeared outside, he saw Scorpius and Rose throwing spells at one of the crimson masked-figures, who disappeared before Albus could cast a spell to assist them.

"What it is, Al?" asked Rose noticing Al's worried face.

"Iris is missing!" said Albus. "She's not inside!"

"Let's check the marsh," said Scorpius, grabbing Al's arm. "She might be hiding out there!"

The three of them moved as quickly as they could into the marsh as they tried to avoid falling on the icy and hard ground. They started calling for Iris among the sounds of spells and screams from the Burrow.

"I can't see her!" said Rose.

"IRIS!" cried Al, his voice getting frantic.

"Split up!" cried Scorpius, heading towards the left as Albus headed towards the right. Rose continued to call out in the middle, casting a light charm to see where she was going. Just then, Rose heard some faint whimpering coming from a bush and darted towards the sound. Rose rustled through the bushes with one hand as she held her illuminated wand in the other. The light from her wand was casted upon the face of Iris, who looked stunned and scared at the same time as she embraced Rose.

"It's alright," said Rose. "Let's go back - "

Both Al and Scorpius heard Rose's screams and immediately headed towards the sound. As they approached the scene, they could see Rose shielding Iris behind her back and countering spells from the masked figure who must have followed them.

"A little help here!" cried Rose.

"STUPEFY!" cried Scorpius, aiming at the figure, who fell back upon being hit. When the figure realized they was outnumbered, even by teenagers, they disappeared into the sky.

"Look!" said Scorpius, pointing to the sky. One at a time the figures were disappearing from the Burrow. The three of them headed back to the Burrow with Al carrying Iris on his back as her legs were stiff from hiding in the bush and being on the cold ground. When they had returned, none of the masked figures remained anywhere near the house or yard.

Once Albus placed Iris on the ground, Harry picked up Iris for a huge embrace while Ginny stroked Iris' hair to reassure her that everything was fine.

"Get him inside!" cried George. Al looked and gasped at George and Rory carried a wounded James into the house. Ginny sprinted behind George while the rest followed. Upon seeing her grandson, Molly cleared the sofa for James. Poor James had a serious wound on his left side of the head that nearly covered his left eye.

"George, what happened?" cried Ginny kneeling beside her son as he groaned with pain.

"One of those masked freaks tried cast an Incarcerous spell," said George. "James blocked it but it was too late and the chain ricocheted off his temple."

Al slowly approached his brother who was wincing in pain from the wound. Al realized at that moment that all the little spats he had had with his brother over the years no longer matter. The wound could have been worse and James could have been lost forever.

"Hey," said Al, softly to James. "At least you got that scar you always wanted."

"The birds love scars," chortled James, smiling faintly at Al.

"It's a proper one, too," said Al relieved that his brother was truly okay.

"Innit?" said James as both boys laughed.

Ron was the last to come back to the Burrow, looking disheveled from his fight. Rose was the first to spot him outside the house and ran towards him, with the rest of the Weasley-Grangers in tow.

"Everyone's okay," said Ron sighing in relief. "Thank Merlin."

"Other than Jay, everyone's fine," said Hermione.

"Where's 'Spius?" asked Hattie.

The four of them turned to look at Scorpius who stared upward at the sky in the direction where the attackers came from. The knots in Scorpius' stomach had not settled. He knew that he was a target. Furthermore, the family would be under attack as long as he stayed there. Scorpius wanted to take his wand and fling spells from it out of anger for allowing this exceptionally forgiving and kind family be in harm's way all for his safety. Frankly, at this point, Scorpius didn't believe he deserved it. After all, he was the prime target in many of these attacks, as he was the son of Draco Malfoy and the grandson of Death Eater Lucius Malfoy.

"Scorpius, what's the matter, dear?" said Hermione putting her hands on his shoulder.

"They did this because of me," said Scorpius.

"No, dear," said Hermione, leading Scorpius back to the Burrow. "None of this is your fault."

"Feels like it," said Scorpius. "You've been so kind, Mrs. Granger, your family shouldn't have to deal with this."

"This isn't the first time the Weasleys have helped someone who wasn't well liked," said Hermione, pointing towards Harry, now sitting on the steps with Lily and Iris on either side plus Hazel on his lap.

"But I'm not Harry Potter," argued Scorpius. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy."

Hermione smiled gently as he put her hands on Scorpius' shoulders.

"Your life is worth saving," said Hermione. "You matter, and don't ever forget that."

"Thank you, Mrs. Granger," said Scorpius, wanting to hug her like she was his own mother. Luckily for him, Hermione already had the same thought and pulled him in for a warm embrace.


	18. Chapter 18

After the attack, the Weasley-Grangers and Scorpius went back to the flat once Molly and Arthur had everything under control at the Burrow and James was alright. Unfortunately for Rose, that meant she had to sleep in her room which she reluctantly shared with Hugo as Scorpius had Hugo's room. It was Hugo's snoring that woke Rose up and despite her attempts to fall back asleep, her mind was already awake. It was so early than even Hattie was still asleep, so Rose decided to lie in and read the blood boundary spellbook she knicked from her mother's room.

Rose had heard about blood boundary spells in her second year when she and the two boys stumbled upon a book on the subject in the library. The pictures and diagrams used to describe the boundaries were so gruesome and grotesque that Scorpius heaved his school dinner all over the book. It was the last thing Rose imagined her parents would discussed on the night when the three teenagers returned from Hogwarts.

"Listen here, you lot," said Ron. "We have something important to discuss with all of you."

"Is Mum having twins?" asked Hugo.

"No!" cried Ron and Hermione as the two nearly fainted at the thought of raising two babies.

"What is it then?" asked Rose.

"Well, your mother and I have been talking," said Ron. "And, we think for everyone's safety, it would be a good idea to have a blood boundary for the flat." Upon hearing that term, Rose and Scorpius felt nervous as they thought back to the gross images they saw in that awful book.

"What's that?" asked Hugo.

"It's a very primitive spell," said Rose. "It requires large amounts of _actual_ blood in order to draw out a boundary around an area."

"Rose is right," said Hermione. "Ancient blood boundaries are truly horrible. However, I think I've found blood boundary spells that are a little less..."

"Messy?" asked Scorpius, feeling his stomach churn.

"Exactly," said Hermione. "All we need is one drop of blood from everyone, then we can seal the apartment so that only us and Scorpius can enter..."

Rose looked at her bandaged right index finger where she had pricked her finger for the spell. As she went back to reading her back, the door to her door opened slightly. Initially, Rose didn't see anything but the top of some brown curls. Rose smiled as Hattie walked over to her bed sleepily rubbing her eyes and holding an illustrated version of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" in her other hand.

"What's up, bug?" asked Rose, as she lifted Hattie onto her bed. "You want me to read you a story?"

"Babbity Rabbity, please," said Hattie, yawning as she put the book in Rose's hands.

"Alright," said Rose, adjusting herself so that Hattie could lie next to her and look at the drawings in the book. As she watched Hattie turn the pages to Babbity Rabbity, she noticed her little sister's bandaged finger. The worst part of the blood boundary spell was watching Hattie scream and squirm in Ron's lap as Hermione pricked Hattie's finger for a drop of blood. Afterwards, Rose heard Hermione crying in her room once Hattie fell asleep.

"How's your finger, bug?" asked Rose.

"Read, Rosie!" said Hattie, as she pointed to the illustration of Babbity Rabbity. Rose smiled and kissed the top of her sister's head. If Hattie could forget the pain, then maybe Rose could trust her mother's decision to use the spell.

* * *

That night, Hermione craved Indian food and the family decided to eat at their favorite Indian restaurant. Although the restaurant was already busy by the time they arrived, the hostess immediately cleared a table for the family once she saw Hermione enter the restaurant.

"Here you are, Mrs. Granger," said the hostess, quickly clearly a table for the large party.

"Thank you, Medhavi," said Hermione. The restaurant had black plastic chairs that looked like wooden chairs, square tables with white paper covers, maroon floor tiles, and bright yellow walls with various knick-knacks scattered on the choice of venue made Scorpius excited but uneasy as he never had Indian food before and didn't know how he would react to the foreign cuisine.

"Now, what can I bring you all for drinks?" asked Medhavi, turning first to Scorpius.

"I'll have..." said Scorpius, subtly nodding towards Rose for help as he knew that pumpkin juice and butter beer didn't exist in Muggle restaurants.

"He'll have a coke," said Rose. "I'll have one as well, please."

"Me too," chimed Hugo.

"I'm fine with water," said Hermione.

"Beer for me," said Ron, adjusting Hattie in her booster seat. "And milk for here."

"Excellent," said Medhavi, writing everything down. "Are we getting the usual meals?"

All the Weasley-Grangers nodded in agreement, with the exception of Scorpius who had no idea what to order from the colourful menu.

"He'll have the chicken tikka," said Rose making Scorpius sigh with relief. Shortly afterwards, the food was brought out and Scorpius felt his mouth water from smelling the spices permeating the air.

"Scorpius, you're drooling" said Ron, cutting into his chicken tandoori.

Scorpius picked up his fork to get a piece of chicken. Once he took his first bite, Scorpius was stunned that he had been missing out on such cuisine.

"Merlin's beard," exclaimed Scorpius. "That's amazing!"

"Alright son, calm down," said Ron, a little embarrassed at Scorpius' outburst, while Hugo and Rose snickered to themselves. "It's just chicken."

"Why can't we get this at Hogwarts?" asked Scorpius.

"We do," said Hugo. "You've always just had the chips and rice."

"Oh," said Scorpius, his face going red. However, this made Rose laugh even harder. When Scorpius saw Rose's giant smile, bright eyes, and bouncing curls, the crimson left his face as he felt overwhelmed with joy at the sight of Rose's happiness.

* * *

"Hugo, Hattie, please don't run down the hallway!" scolded Hermione as the two younger Granger-Weasleys raced down the hallways as the family got off the lift.

"So, we've had that at Hogwarts?" asked Scorpius to Rose, referring to the chicken tikka.

"Yes," groaned Rose from frustration at Scorpius' repetitive questions. "It's been there since our first year!"

"Pretty impressive," said Ron as he walked with Rose and Scorpius. "We just had the standard stuff when I was there..."

"Ron, do you have the key?" asked Hermione.

"Right here," said Ron, as he took out the key to unlock their front door. Even though the flat had the blood boundary around it, Ron and Hermione still needed to lock the flat in case a Muggle burgled or broke into it. Once Ron had unlocked the door, the family entered the flat with Hermione turning on the lights. Just then, the calmness of the flat disappeared in an instance when Rose pulled out her wand.

"STUPEFY!" cried Rose.


	19. Chapter 19

"Bloody hell, Rosie!" yelled Ron.

When Ron looked down he saw a man on the ground brushing himself off. The man had dirty blond hair that was tied back and a blond, bristled beard on his face. His robes were dark but clearly worn from the weather and elements, as the edge of the robe was frayed and slightly dirty. It took a Ron a second to recognize the man, but once he did, he was stunned and speechless.

"Father?" said Scorpius.

"Hello, Scorpius," said Draco Malfoy, getting up from the floor after Rose had stunned him. Before Scorpius could embrace his father, Ron rushed over and picked up Draco. Ron pinned him against the wall with one arm and pointed his wand towards Draco's face.

"Dad, stop!" cried Rose frightened by her father's brash manner.

"What the hell, Weasley!" yelled Draco.

"Shut it!" said Ron, firmly grasping Draco's collar. "If you're Draco, what was the first thing you said to me at Hogwarts before the Sorting ceremony?" Draco attempted to free himself from Ron's hold, however Ron was stronger than him and Draco realized he had no choice but to answer Ron's question.

"Red hair, hand-me-down clothing, and a stupid complexion," said Draco. "You must be a Weasley."

"It's him, Ron," said Hermione, as Ron released his hold over Draco's collar. "If it wasn't the real Draco, then he wouldn't have entered the flat - only people who share Scorpius' blood ties could come through the flat."

"Father!" said Scorpius, running to embrace him. "Father, you're alright!"

"Scorpius, my boy," said Draco joyfully as he clasped his son's face between his hands. "I've missed you."

"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" asked Ron, still staring down Draco.

"Isn't it obvious, Weasley?" asked Draco with a more pointed tone. "I'm here to see my son."

"How did you know where to find us?" asked Hugo. Wondering about the same question, Ron change his gaze from Draco to Scorpius.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" said Ron to Scorpius. "After all we have done for you these past few months, do you know how much danger we're in?"

"Dad, Scorpius would never do that!" said Rose, putting herself between her father and Scorpius. "Scorpius has missed his parents, but he's not reckless!"

"It's not his fault, Weasley," said Draco defensively. "Because I found you on my own!"

"Alright, both of us, in here!" said Hermione dragging the sleeves of Ron and Draco into the master bedroom. As the door shut behind the adults, the younger ones stood in the living area in stunned silence. For a minute, there was an awkward silence between the adults as they had a checkered history among them.

"So, Granger," said Draco, trying to make small talk as he sat on the chair for the vanity. "Congrats on being, you know, pregnant."

"Thanks," said Hermione, rather cooly. Although Hemione was more understanding towards Scorpius, she could not easily welcome Draco with open arms. Hermione never forgot Malfoy's cruel taunts and bullying she had to endure for almost six years at Hogwarts. It was already difficult enough being a Muggle at a wizarding school, but to also be teased for being studious and clever.

"Right then," said Ron, sitting on the bed with Hermione next to him. "How did you find us, Malfoy?"

"I'll tell you, if you'd let me, Weasley," snarled Draco making Ron tense up and nearly ready to knock his lights out. Before Ron could react, Draco took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that," said Draco in a genuinely apolegetic tone.

"It's fine," said Ron, more uneasy at Draco apologizing to him than snapping at him.

"I found these two morons in the Forest of Dean," began Draco. "I learned from them that Scorpius was still with you two. However, I couldn't let them know who I was because my hiding place had been compromised."

"By who?" asked Hermione.

"The Ministry," said Draco. "It had to have been, because when I returned home where I had been staying, I found the entire family missing."

"What do you mean, missing?" asked Hermione, her heart racing a bit at hearing this story.

"What do you think, Granger?" retorted Draco. "As far as I could tell, they literally vanished. I also didn't really have time to investigate, because I was ambushed shortly thereafter by some bizarre Red Deatheater squad."

"Deatheaters?" said Ron and Hermione as their minds raced back to the Voldemort Reign.

"Not like those Deatheaters," said Draco, struggling to describe what he saw. "But they reminded me of them. They had red robes and gold masks."

"So, like Gryffindor Deatheaters," said Ron as Draco nodded in agreement.

"Just like the figures who attacked us at the Burrow," said Hermione. "Draco's right - it has to be the Ministry behind this, and no doubt Jason Charmer!"

"But, how did you get here?" asked Ron. Draco's remarkable story stunned Ron and Hermione. Draco left for London to find his wife and son in the midst of this chaotic time. For over six months Draco hid in shelters, disguised himself, and Never in their wildest dreams did they ever imagine the boy with well-tailored suits and shiny shoes would be roughing it out amongst the elements.

"Ever since then, I've been searching all over for Astoria and Scorpius," said Draco, finishing his story. "I still haven't figured out where Astoria is, but I decided that Scorpius was the main priority. I was convinced that he didn't go back to Hogwarts after what I went through and assumed he was in hiding with you two, so I started looking for where you were living..."

"So, it was you?" asked Hermione, remembering the day when she thought she had seen Malfoy. "You were there - at the Ministry."

"Bloody hell," said Ron, making the same realization. "It was you at the bus stop."

"Yes," said Draco. "I...I admit I was following you, and it took me a while to find where you lived. But please understand, it was for good reason. I needed to find Scorpius and get him out of here."

"What on earth do you mean?" asked Hermione. "Get him out of where?"


	20. Chapter 20

"Are you mad?" said Ron stunned by the news he just heard from Draco. "Why the hell would you go to France?"

"I have a business partner who lives in Ville D'Veela," said Draco. "He's offered to shelter Scorpius."

"How do you know this business partner will keep Scorpius safe?" asked Hermione.

"Look," sighed Draco. "I appreciate everything you two have done for my son, but I have to keep him safe, and the country isn't safe for him anymore..."

"No, absolutely not!" cried Scorpius, bursting through the door. Meanwhile, Rose, Hugo, and Hattie slowly creeped up to the door to watch the action unfold after they had stood behind the door to eavesdrop on the conversation. Meanwhile, the adults stood bewildered at Scorpius' sudden outburst.

"Son, let me explain," said Draco.

"Dad, I'm not abandoning my friends!" protested Scorpius.

"Scorpius," said Draco firmly. "Listen to me, many of your friends will abandon you soon, not because of you personally, but because of who you are. This happened to me, and unfortunately that will "

"No, I won't abandon him!" yelled Rose without thinking. "How can anyone abandon any one as wonderful as him?" Poor Rose felt her cheeks turn red as she saw Hermione's soft smile, Draco's amused expression, and Ron's confused face. Even Hugo was trying to stifle his laughter at his sister. The only one not looking at her was Scorpius, who was trying to stifle his own smile.

"Father," said Scorpius clearing his throat. " I know you want to protect me, but I'm not leaving Hogwarts."

Draco sighed at his son's decision. In many ways, Draco wished he had been more like Scorpius when he was younger. There were times when Draco wished he had stood up against his family just as Scorpius did today.

"If that's what you want, son, then I won't force you to leave," agreed Draco.

"And Scorpius will continue to stay with us," said Hermione. "We'll keep him safe, Draco." At that statement, Draco smiled and nodded his head in appreciation.

"Well, that's all well and good," said Ron. "But where's Draco going to stay? Our flat's already at mass capacity."

"Maybe Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny can help Mr. Malfoy," suggested Hugo.

"Any objections, Malfoy?" asked Ron.

"Fine with me," said Draco. "At this point, anything's better than what I've been living in the past few months."

Before he headed out, Draco hugged his son one more time, relieved to see Scorpius was safe with the Weasleys.

"Let's go, Draco," said Ron, rather impatiently.

"Is he always this annoying?" growled Draco.

"Yeah," laughed Scorpius. "But you get used to it after a while."

As Draco and Ron disapparated out of the flat, Scorpius felt his shoulders relaxed and a big grin on his face. Ever since he went into hiding, Scorpius All he had been preoccupied with over the past six months was his parents' location and safety. Now that he knew his father was safe, it gave him hope that his mother would be found next.

* * *

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" cried Lily, chasing the twins down the stairs at Grimmauld Place. Somehow, the twins had an experiment go awry that result in Lily's gorgeous ginger hair turn a gnarly green colour.

"What's going on - Lily, stop!" cried Ginny, grabbing Lily while the twins hid behind a stunned and surprised Albus who feared Lily's anger like every other Potter child in the house.

"Those little monsters ruined my hair!" said Lily. "I look like a troll!"

"A very pretty troll," offered Colin meekly. That only agitated Lily further as she lunged forward with such force that Ginny had to hold her back.

Just then, a loud pop echoed through the halls as Ron and Draco appeared in the room.

"Ron?" asked Ginny.

"Hey Ginny," said Ron. "Lily, what's happened to your hair?"

"Mr. Malfoy?" said Al, incredulously.

"Hello, Albus, Ginny,other Potter children," said Draco.

"Why is Draco Malfoy in my house?" asked Ginny feeling more uneasy than surprised at seeing her old school foe in Grimmauld Place.

"Draco's hiding spot was compromised," said Ron. "We need to hide him, so..."

"So you decided he was to stay here, without telling me first?" asked Ginny, annoyed with her brother at this moment. The children and Draco could feel the tension in the room. Lily was able to break away from her mother and hid with her brothers and stand slightly behind Albus.

"Please, Ginny," said Ron. "We can't keep him at our flat! We already have Scorpius there and with the new baby on the way..."

"Oh no!" said Ginny, wagging her finger in a way similar to Molly Weasley that sent shivers down Ron's spine. "You don't get to play the new baby card with me! If you think Harry and I will let him stay in this house for even one second, after what he did to us as kids..."

"It's fine, Weasley," said Draco slightly hesitant at interrupting Ginny. "I can find another place to stay. I've managed for this long. As long as Scorpius is safe, then that's all I need to keep going." At that moment, Ginny realized that Draco Malfoy was not the same school bully she had grown up with at Hogwarts.

"Draco," said Ginny feeling horrible about the things she said previously. "As long as Harry is okay with it, you can stay here if you like."

"Thank you, Ginny," said Draco, a soft smile. "I appreciate it, really."

"Ginny? Ginny, who's there?" asked Harry, who had just arrived back to the Ministry. As Harry walked him, he stopped in his tracks as he looked at Draco.

"Hey mate," said Ron. "Um, did you have a good day at work?"

"Ron, why is Malfoy in my house?" asked Harry.

"Because, um, we found him," said Ron as Ginny shook her head in disbelief.

"Yes, I can see that, Ron," said Harry. "Where did you find him?"

"In my apartment," said Ron. "The people hiding him also disappeared without a trace. Harry, those same bastards that attacked us on Boxing Day tried to kill Draco. "

"Oh bloody hell," groaned Harry rubbing the bridge of his nose so that his glasses rose up on his face.

"So, can Mr. Malfoy stay?" asked Albus.

"What did your mother say?" asked Harry.

"That he could stay," said Al.

"Alright," said Harry. "We'll hide him." Just then, Teddy appeared with Victoire, which neither Harry nor Ginny expected.

"Tori, what a nice surprise!" said Ginny although Victoire and Teddy were standing their stunned at Draco Malfoy in Grimmauld Place.

"Harry, why is Mr. Malfoy in your house?" asked Teddy.

"Oh bloody hell," said Ron, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm going home, good night everyone." Before anyone could say good night to Ron, he disapparated back to his London flat.

With that, Harry and Draco looked at each other. Both of them weren't exactly thrilled to see the other, however both understood the circumstances at hand and knew that right now, this was the best arrangement. Whatever childhood and juvenile thoughts they had about each other no longer mattered. The only thing that matter was survival.

"So..." said Teddy. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?"


	21. Chapter 21

A week after Draco appeared at Ron and Hermione's flat, he had settled into his own space at Grimmauld Place. Despite the overall lack of peace and quietness with all seven Potter children being in the house, Draco found the living conditions a step up from his previous hiding spaces. Even the awkwardness between Harry, Ginny, and Draco was more bearable than being frozen in the Forest of Dean.

Draco's sudden reemergence made the Order call another meeting to discuss the situation. It was just after ten at night when the long and unfortunate unproductive meeting finished. Mostly everyone had left with the exception of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco. Hermione and Ron had volunteered to stay behind to help clean up the dining room where the Order met.

"You don't have to do that, Hermione," said Ginny as she and Hermione were cleaning up the dining room table.

"I'm not helpless, Ginny," said Hermione. "I'm just pregnant - oh, what's this?" Hermione noticed a mechanical hippogriff on the ground and tried to pick it up, despite having issues reaching down to the ground. However, Ginny knew better than to interfere and merely stood back as Hermione slowly knelt to the ground.

"Where do you want me to put it?" asked Hermione reaching out her arm for Ginny's support to help her up.

"Just give it to Gornie or Chessa," said Ginny helping her up. "They can put it back in the twins' room. "

"Wait, Ron!" said Hermione, seeing her husband walk by as he nibbled on a biscuit. "Put this upstairs in the twins' room?"

"Um, sure?" said Ron, as Hermione waddled over to him and shoved the toy in his arms.

With the toy in hand, walked up to the first floor. However, before he made his way up to the first floor, he wanted to see the Black family tapestry. One of the things he and Hermione were struggling with was naming their baby. Both of them were convinced they were having a boy, but were stuck on names.

Ron opened the door to the room, which was an office for Harry to use when he was home. To his surprise, Ron saw Draco standing in the center of the room, looking at the portraits.

"Oh, Malfoy," said Ron, mumbling awkwardly.

"Weasley," said Draco, slightly amused by Ron's reaction. "What's that?"

"This? Um...it's belongs to the twins," said Ron.

"Ah, yes," said Draco. "The ones that are always climbing something at the platform."

"Yeah," laughed Ron. "They are a handful."

"They're just like..." said Draco catching himself before finishing the statement.

"Fred and George," said Ron. For a while, Ron and Draco stood in silence. It was strange for the former rivals to have a civil conversation. Ron realized that Draco wanted to make amends for all of the horrid things he had done. Perhaps Ron could give a little forgiveness to Draco. After all, he managed to raise a good kid like Scorpius, so Draco must not be that bad anymore.

"I've never seen this tree before," said Draco. "Mother told me about it, but I didn't expect it to be so expansive."

"Yeah," said Ron, rather awkwardly. "It's a nice tree."

Draco looked at Ron with raised eyebrows, but declined to say anything as he noticed Ron's cheeks blushing.

"That's my mother, right there," said Draco, pointing to his mother's portrait. "And her parents...my aunt Bellatrix...and I guess that the charred portrait is my aunt Andromeda, which means that me and Lupin's wife were cousins."

"Wicked," said Ron. "And that makes Teddy your second cousin."

"Who?" asked Draco.

"Teddy Lupin," said Ron. "That was Lupin and Tonks' son."

"Her name was Tonks?" asked Draco.

"Well, Nymphadora," said Ron. "But everyone called her Tonks."

"Right," said Draco. "Shame I didn't get to meet my cousin properly. I finally met Aunt Andromeda after Scorpius was born, although it take her a while to trust me. Mother refused to say her name in our home growing up. I'm going to guess that anyone who's face has been charred is not welcomed in the Black family?"

"You'd be correct," said Ron, walking towards one of the portraits. "See this one here? That's Cedrella Black, my grandmother. She was in love my grandfather Septimus Weasley, my dad's dad. Her family didn't approve of her marriage to a blood traitor so they disowned her. They never met my dad or my uncles."

"It was all so stupid," said Draco with a tinge of anger in his tone. "The whole blood purity thing. My parents never came around to Muggles in the end - they stopped believing in Voldemort. Astoria's the one who changed me. She taught me how to love and accept others. Thanks to her we have the most beautiful boy in the world, and she had him all while risking her own health."

"What's wrong with Astoria?" asked Ron never hearing about this before.

"Astoria has a blood curse," said Draco. "It's been in her family for generations. Ever since Scorpius's birth, she's getting weaker each year. She should have been dead by Scorpius's fourth year, but she was determined to see him pass his O.W.L.S. Now that she made it to that date, she wants to see him pass his N.E.W.T.S. That's the kind of person she is - she thinks about everyone else but herself. And it's not just me and Scorpius she thinks about, she thinks about people she's never met before. That's the kind of person I wanted to be, and that's the kind of person she made me."

Ron noticed that tears were forming in Draco's eyes. If Ron was separated from Hermione and the kids, he would be beside himself. Draco leaned his head back slightly to avoid tears from falling down his face. Suddenly, Draco felt a hand lightly placed on his shoulder. When he towards his head, Draco saw Ron giving him a small lopsided smile.

"Don't worry, mate, we'll find her," said Ron.


	22. Chapter 22

Al sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast with his younger siblings, as James was still asleep and Lily was fixing her hair. Today the four Potter siblings were going back to Hogwarts. When Al woke up this morning, he didn't feel excited or anxious to get back to school. Instead, he felt nervous about going back, because he knew things were changing, and not in a good way.

"Al, please don't play with your food," said Ginny cutting Hazel's toast and eggs.

"Sorry, Mum," mumbled Al not realizing hewas pushing his eggs back and forth on his plate.

"Mummy, why can't I go to the platform?" said Hazel as she used her fork to repeatedly break the yolk of her eggs.

"Sweetheart, we've been over this," said Ginny as she place plates of buttered toast and eggs in front of the twins. "You can't go the platform this year - only Mummy and the big kids are allowed."

"But why?" asked Hazel.

"Because the baddies will get you!" said Colin, aiming his fork at Hazel.

"Colin Arthur, put your fork down," said Ginny sitting down to eat her breakfast.

"It's not fair!" said Hazel crossing her arms and pouting her lips."I want to go to Hogwarts!"

"Well guess what? You're not going to Hogwarts," said Iris matter of factly. "So stop whinging about it like a baby!"

Before Ginny could scold Iris, Hazel took one of her yolk-soaked egg whites and flick it towards Iris. The six-year-old's aim was perfect because the food particle landed on the left side of Iris's face. Immediately, Iris hopped out of her chair and began to chase Hazel out of the room.

"Merlin," groaned Ginny as she followed the girls out of the kitchen yet another fight.

James walked in with his hair tussled from his sleep and wearing his Quidditch joggers and a Gryffindor jumper. Although James entered the kitchen still drowsy, he woke up as the twins darted out of the kitchen.

"What did I miss?" asked James grabbing his plate of toast and eggs on the counter.

"Hazel threw her eggs at Iris," said Al making James snorted with laughter. "Where's Lily?"

"Still in the toilet," said James as he shoveled eggs into his mouth while scrolling through his phone. "I knocked on the door and she shrieked at me like a banshee."

Just then, Al noticed James' eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as he scrolled through his phone.

"What's wrong, Jay?" asked Al.

"Look at this," said James handing him the mobile.

Al immediately cringed at the Kells picture of Troy surrounded by Stanley, Bruno, and Kyra leaning against a wall in Diagon Alley with serious faces, trying to act tough and serious. However, Al's mood changed when he read the caption and his face changed from cringe to concern.

"What in Merlin's beard?" said Al, confused by the post.

"Right? It's bloody bizarre," said James. As he was speaking, Lily came down to the kitchen after getting her hair and makeup ready for the day. Lily saw her brothers looking over the post and peered over to see what they were looking at.

"A_mong the eight, we'll strike the many who are small. You think you know what we mean, guess you'll see_," said Lily, reading the post aloud. "What does that even mean?"

"Sounds like an empty threat," said Al.

"Probably nothing to worry about, right?" asked Lily standing between her brothers. "I mean, Troy's a bully but he's too daft to be that clever."

"Yeah, don't worry about it Lills," said James. "Right Al?"

Al did not respond. After years of torment, Al knew the pain Troy was capable of inflicting upon others. Moreover, Al was also concerned that with the bad blood between Jason Charmer and his father than Troy's desire to hurt others is stronger than ever.

"Al?" asked Lily.

"Um, yeah, don't worry about it Lily," said Al unconvincingly.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Potter?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt, standing outside of the Charmer chateau with Harry.

After months of no activity, attacks were happening across the city resulting in twenty deaths. At this point, the Auror department had reached their wits' end to stop the violence and Harry's latest idea proved to be the most insane the department had heard in a while.

"We need to know what he's thinking," said Harry. "He's planning something big and we need to know what it is. And Jason Charmer likes to talk."

"We'll see, Potter," said Shacklebolt. "At this point, I'm willing to sit with that arrogant fool for however long it takes him to spill his guts."

Taking a deep breath, Harry knocked on the heavy wooden door. A few minutes passed before an elf came to the door to let the men in. The entry hall was covered in wood panels, red tiles, and gold carpets. The walls had portraits of Charmer family enclosed in large, bulky, and golden frames. The elf lead Harry and Shacklebolt through the first floor to Charmer's office.

"Master?" said the elf, knocking timidly on the door. "Mr. Potter and the Minister are here."

"Send them in!" called out Charmer.

The small and skinny elf opened the large wooden door for Harry and Shacklebolt. When the door opened, there was Charmer, sitting at his desk, with Ulysses Gamp on his side. The library was decorated with red wine silk panels, dark wooden furniture, and a crimson chaise in front of the large medieval fireplace. Bookcases draped both sides of the desk and a large window behind it allowed light to pour into the room. The light coming through the library shone on another familiar face sitting on one of the old wooden chairs covered in embroidered fabric.

"Minerva?" said Shacklebolt.


	23. Chapter 23

Harry's mouth open with surprise. There was Headmistress McGonagall sitting in one of the chairs in Jason Charmer's office.

"Potter, close your mouth," ordered McGonagall. "You're not a toad!"

"Headmistress?" said Harry. "What are you doing here?"

"You mean 'professor' ," said Gamp, in a taunting tone.

"What is he talking about, Minerva?" asked Shacklebolt.

"I'm afraid I'm in the middle of a nefarious negotiation, Potter," said Minerva.

"Now, Minerva, don't be so dreary," said Charmer, standing up from his desk and walking towards Harry.

Harry's head lowered slightly as he glared at Charmer. Even though McGonagall was more than capable of defending herself, Harry was still loyal and protective over her as he was over Molly Weasley. Molly was the mother he never had, but McGonagall was the aunt he deserved.

"Really, Potter, must you look so cross?" asked Charmer, staring at Harry face to face. "I can explain..."

"Then do so!" said Harry, sharply.

"You see, despite contrary opinion, I am quite concerned about the safety of the students of Hogwarts," said Charmer, turning his back on Potter.

"_All_ of the students?" asked Harry doubting Charmer's concerns.

"Well," said Charmer, dragging out the word in an indecisive manner. "I'm primarily concerned about my son, and his friends, and of course Gryffindor house. After discussing things with Ulysses, we approached Headmistress McGonagall and explained that as long as Slytherin students were still at Hogwarts, no one was truly safe..."

"Arsehole," said Harry under his breath.

"So," said Charmer, taking a deep breath. "We told her that unless all Slytherin students were removed from Hogwarts, then she would be demoted to Professor and a new headmaster would replace her."

"WHAT?" cried Harry.

"You're not in any position to make such absurd decisions, Charmer," said Shacklebolt. "And you certainly have no right to blackmail Headmistress."

"Professor," interrupted Gamp who immediately shuddered when Shacklebolt glared at him.

"Chamer, let me talk to Potter and Shacklebolt alone, please?" asked Minerva, looking at Harry, then at Charmer. "Perhaps I can make them understand this situation better."

"Certainly, Minerva," said Charmer, back to his sickly sweet tone. "Come on Gampy, le'ts leave Professor McGonagall to school these brutes."

"Headmistress," sneered Harry.

"Professor!" said Gamp, puffing his chest out as he tried to get in Harry's face. However, Gamp immediately cowered away when Harry lunging forward, pretending to attack Gamp. Charmer grabbed Gamp by the sleeve of his robe and pulled him out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

There was a tense silence in the room despite Charmer and Gamp exiting the space. Harry wanted to understand McGonagall's reasoning for giving into Charmer's demands, rather than fight him on it.

McGonagall stood up from her chair and walked over to Shacklebolt and Harry.

"Professor..." began Harry.

"Potter," said Minerva, her eyes and smile soft with kindness. "I know you're confused about this, but please understand that just as you and Kingsley belong in the Ministry, I need to be at Hogwarts."

Harry looked at Shacklebolt, who nodded in approval, supporting McGonagall's choice. Harry smiled at McGonagall and also nodded his head, his admiration for his old teacher and now comrade in battle growing even more. .

"Ahem," said Gamp, opening up the door.

"Now, Gampy," said Charmer, peering in. "Let's not interrupt them..."

"Actually, Charmer, we're finished," said Harry, staring down Gamp and trying to make the man squirmed from discomfort. "As long as Professor McGonagall has voluntarily agreed to this, and that's all that matters to me."

"Ah, Potter, finally seeing the light, are we?" said Charmer. "Well then, now that's that settled, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you and Minister Shacklebolt to leave now as Professor McGonagall has only a few short hours before the students arrive to train Hogwarts' new Headmaster."

"And what makes you think you have the authority to elect a new Headmaster?" asked Shacklebolt.

"Well, I don't - but my compatriot Gamp has the authority," said Charmer.

"Oh, wait a second - I'm afraid I don't anymore, Jason!" said Gamp, feigning shock and horror.

"Whatever do you mean?" asked Charmer.

"Well, as Headmaster of Hogwarts," said Gamp, a smile growing across his face as Harry and Shacklebolt's eyes grew with horror. "I can't hold two positions at the same time!"

At that moment, Harry felt his world coming undone. The last thing he wanted was for one of Charmer's supporters to be in charge of the school. At that moment, all he wanted was to disappear from all of this chaos. However, one glance at McGonagall's face changed his mind. Harry realized that McGonagall knew about this the whole time and due to this she wanted to remain at Hogwarts.

"Very well," said Shacklebolt, as he put his arm on Harry's shoulder to direct him out of the room.

"Oh, Potter, before you go," said Charmer, as the men were out of the library. "_Among the eight, we'll strike the many who are small. You think you know what we mean, guess you'll see._"

Harry and Shacklebolt looked confused by this statement.

"What the bloody hell - ?" stuttered Harry.

"Come back soon, won't you?" said Jason, as he slammed the door in their faces.


	24. Chapter 24

Rose had stopped in the girls' bathroom to fix her hair before entering the Great Hall for the first feast of the new term. As she left the bathroom, Juniper Parkinson had entered the room with two other Slytherin sixth years Marchesa Sommertime and Serenity Povey. Usually, Juniper made some snide remark at Rose about how she stole Scorpius from her and how she was a terrible person for befriending him due to their different houses. However, this time, Juniper's empty eyes merely glanced at Rose before walking past her.

"Juniper," said Rose, rather quickly as to not miss Juniper. With her black hair partially covering her face, Juniper slowly turned around to face Rose.

"What do you want, Rose?" asked Juniper, her voice hoarse from what Rose suspected was from crying all day.

"I'm so sorry about Esme," said Rose, genuinely feeling bad for Juniper. Rose couldn't imagine what it would be like if she had lost Albus or Scorpius. The pain was be unbearable, like a void that can't be filled.

At hearing this remark, Juniper's eyes lightened up, at first with surprise, but then a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Thank you, Rose," said Juniper, with Rose smiling back at her.

"C'mon, Rosie!" cried Lily, leaving the bathroom with Polly Chapman.

"Let me know if you need anything," said Rose, as she followed her cousin.

"Yeah sure," said Juniper half-hardheartedly, turning her back on Rose.

Rose, Lily, and Polly walked back into the warm and beautifully lit Great Hall. The smell of dinner permeating the room, including roast beef, mashed potatoes, apple crumbles, and treacle tarts. Despite the uncertainty in the world, the Great Hall was buzzing with students returning from holiday, reuniting with their friends, and enjoining their first feast of the new term.

Albus and Rose were sitting with the Gryffindors, while Scorpius sat with the other Slytherins. The Gryffindor table was divided into two sections. The first section involved the Weasley-Potter clan, including Rose and Albus, and their friends, while the second section involved Troy with his friends and allies. Meanwhile, the Slytherin table where Scorpius sat fluctuated between melancholy and hopeful. Once and a while, Rose saw Scorpius walk over to some first years or second years and would say something to make them laugh or smile. When Juniper came back from the toilets with Serenity and Marchesa, Scorpius got up to give her a hug. It was small acts like those that made Rose smile with joy and pride at Scorpius.

As Scorpius sat back down with some Slytherins, he looked up to see how Rose and Albus were faring at their table. The two of them were sitting with Lexie, Anjali, Rory, and James, and to his surprise saw James and Albus exchanging a few laughs. The golden haze that fell on the room due to the candles made Rose's hair look truly rosy and beautiful.

"Ahem!" said McGonagall, clinking her brass goblet as the room fell silent and awakening Scorpius from his trance. "Welcome back, one and all, to another term at Hogwarts!" Cheers erupted in the Great Hall, ignorant to the outside conflict surrounding the few students.

"I'm so delighted to see all of your faces here today," said McGonagall. "Like many of you, I look forward to the day when our school is reunited. So many things change in our lives, but the one thing that remains constant is our friendships."

Al felt Rose leaning her head on his shoulder, something she had always done since she was a little girl to show her love and affection for others. Al smiled at his cousin, thankful that their friendship has lasted through several trials and troubles.

"Sometimes," said McGonagall, taking a deep breath, trying to hide her trebling voice. "Things can still change and be constant. And...today, one of those constant things will be slightly changing. As of today, I will still remain at Hogwarts, but will no longer be your Headmistress."

Rose and Al felt their jaws drop at the news, while Scorpius joined in with the other incoherent rumblings of the other students who couldn't believe what they heard.

"Looks like some of us aren't that surprised," said James, pointing at Troy, Stanley, Bruno, and Kyra, who all looked unfazed by the news.

"Troy's dad must be behind it," deducted Rose.

"Now, now!" said McGonagall, who managed to bring order back to the Great Hall. "I assure you all are in...relatively competent..."

"Thank you, Professor - " said Gamp, walking past the other professors to take the Headmaster's chair. However, before Gamp could take her seat, McGonagall gave him a cold stare that made him stop in his tracks and back away from McGonagall's shadow. None of the professors could stand him, with even Neville had a scowl on his face.

"What is going on?" asked Hugo to Finn, genuinely confused. All Finn could do was shrug his shoulders.

"Like I said," said McGonagall. "I assure you are all in relatively competent hands...of your new Headmaster, Ulysses Gamp." And with that, Gamp took one step forward slowly but surely, afraid to annoy or anger McGonagall. McGonagall gracefully got up from her seat and sat down at the empty chair next to the Headmaster's chair. Once she was up, Gamp ran over to the chair and took his spot.

"Good evening, students," said Gamp, his voice alternating because a croaking frog and a deflated balloon. "I'm thrilled to be your new Headmaster. It should come to no surprise to any of you that we are faced with an uncertain future. The next few months will determine one thing and one thing only - who are you loyal to? Loyalty, that is what this school is built on. Four witches and wizards who were loyal to each other created this school. But, it was one wizard in particular - one, shall we say, slippery snake - whose lack of loyalty nearly destroy this school."

"If only he knew the truth," whispered Al to Rose.

"He may already know," whispered back Rose, biting her lip.

"And because of that, it is so important that you the students remain loyal to the school. And to ensure this loyalty, my first proclamation is that all Prefects duties are hereby cancelled!"

A collective gasp was heard around the Hall. Rose turned to Al to see his face. For a brief instance, Rose thought she saw relief on Al's face. After all, Albus had already felt stressed from being a Prefect and anxious from being a leader. Still, who would lead the students among the students?

"In lieu of Prefects," said Gamp. "I have selected an elite group of students, who have proven themselves loyal to Hogwarts. They will lead our school to be one unified front again. So please, will those students rise?"

Not surprising to anyone in the room, Troy and his three friends rose from their seats with very smug looks on their faces. At Hufflepuff, sixth year Jonathan Court, Bram Grimblehawk, and seventh year Isla Sellers stood up. At Ravenclaw, seventh year Jade Wong along with sixth years Sienna Fortin and Paul Baxter stood up. Rose felt her heat drop to her stomach when no one from Slytherin stood up.

"Students," cried Gamp. "Meet the Loyalty Leaders!"


	25. Chapter 25

"What am I looking for again, Granger?" asked Draco, who was sitting on the couch in the flat trying to keep up with Hermione's speed.

"I'm trying to figure out what the eighth of each month would mean for Charmers," said Hermione, scrolling through her copious books and notes.

After Rose showed Hermoine the disturbing message posted on Troy Charmer's Kells account, Hermione immediately began to collect any books and encyclopedias she can think of to review dates and calendars.

"Why the eighth?" asked Draco.

"Because," said Hermione, still focusing on her books. "The phrase is - _Among the eight, we'll strike the many who are small. You think you know what we mean, guess you'll see._ That number must mean something."

"And you think it means a date," said Draco.

"It _must _mean that," said Hermione who was struggling to pick up a very heavy leather bound book.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Granger," sighed Draco getting up. "I'll get that for you."

"I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself," protested Hermione who didn't want to admit that her bump prevented her from picking up a book. Finally Hermione acquiesced and let Draco move the book to the kitchen table.

"Thanks," said Hermione with Draco nodding silently. The door opened and Hattie rushed in while Ron walked in with the groceries.

"Hello, sweet girl!" said Hermione as Hattie slowed down to look at all of the big books. "How was nursery today?"

"Mummy, why do you have books?" asked Hattie.

"Yes, why does Mummy have books?" asked Ron, still standing at the door after being taken aback by the smell of parchment and leather. Needless to day, Ron was not thrilled that their flat has now turned into a library.

"I'm trying to decode a message from the Charmers," said Hermione. "_Among the eight, we'll strike the many who are small_. I think Charmer and his supporters are planning an attack, since JCharmer loves notoriety, he may be planning it on a specific day."

"I don't think Charmer's that picky about his days to attack," said Ron.

"His Gryffindor Deatheathers attacked us on Boxing Day," argued Hermione.

"Right," said Ron sensing that he would lose this argument. "Also, why is Malfoy here?"

"Granger stopped by Grimmauld Place, said 'I need your help,' then I was back in the flat," said Draco. "She then gave me a pile of books to review, and I've been doing that since you left this morning."

"Do Harry and Ginny know he's here?" asked Ron.

"Of course!" said Hermione. "I told them...later on this afternoon...when Harry came home and called me to see if Draco was at our flat."

"Oh, Hermione," sighed Ron, rubbing the temple of his forehead.

"What?" huffed Hermione, putting her hands on her hips.

"You're getting all worked up over a dodgy phrase," said Ron. "You're not thinking straight..."

"Yes I am!" countered Hermione, slightly offended. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Do you?" asked Ronald, raising his voice a little. "Because when was the last time I came home to a flat full of leather books?!"

"Um,should I leave?" asked Draco wishing he was back at Grimmauld Place.

"No!" said Ron and Hermione simultaneously making Draco immediately sit back down.

"I know what I'm doing, Ronald!" said Hermione.

"I'm just saying that maybe, just maybe, you're going a little board-over with this!" yelled Ron, gesturing to the books.

"It's _overboard_," corrected Hermione.

"It doesn't matter what the phrase is - you've gone completely mad!" blasted Ron pointing at Hermione.

At that phrase, Hermione took a step back and looked down at the ground. Ron immediately realized that he had gone too far in his words. Meanwhile, Draco felt like melting into the couch. He had seen Hermione and Ron argue before during their school days but never as adults in a more personal setting. While all of this was going on, Hattie had made her way to one of the piles of books and began to climb on them like a toy at the playground.

" 'Mione," said Ron. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean it..."

"No, you're right, Ron," sighed Hermione. "I did go overboard. I just thought that maybe, after all this time, we could finally outsmart him and beat him."

"And we will, love," sad Ron, putting his hands on her shoulders and making Hermione smile. "And I know you'll figure out whatever this message means."

"Um, I'm still here," interrupted Draco.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Draco!" said Hermione, embarrassed that they fought in front of Draco.

"Oh bloody hell," murmured Ron also embarrassed that Draco witnessed their fight. It was one thing for them to fight in front of Harry or their kids, but another to fight in front of Draco, someone they were still getting to know personally.

"I should probably head back over to Grimmauld Place," said Draco, standing up from the couch.

"Well, before you go," said Hermione. "Perhaps you could stay for dinner? We have enough for one more person." .

"Yeah," said Ron. "Besides, you're kinda part of this whole operation now, even if you are supposed to be in hiding."

Draco looked at Ron and Hermione seeing genuine kindness and hospitality in their faces. Although he was taken aback by the gesture, he nevertheless welcomed it after months of isolation and loneliness.

"Sure," said Draco smiling. "I'll stick around for dinner."


	26. Chapter 26

The past month back at Hogwarts was intolerable for anyone who was not a Loyalty Leader. Rather than promote loyalty, Troy and his group used their power to bully and taunt other students. The worst was when the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw leaders saw it happening and they did nothing to stop it. Troy and his gang would often trip students, knock their books out of their hands, or dump bowls of porridge or pease pudding on their school robes. Despite Neville and McGonagall intervening several times to stop them, the taunting and bullying continued.

It was apparent that the Slytherins and the Potter-Weasley family received the worst of it. Although Rose, Al, and Scorpius were used to the bullying, the other family members did not expect the cruelty. Within one month, Lily was hexed with a weight gaining hexand James with an acne hex. One weekend Rose found Iris crying in the toilet after Troy turned her nose into a pig snout. When Al heard about this, Rose and Scorpius had to talk him, James, and Lily down from harming the leaders.

It was a late night in the library for Al, Rose, and Scorpius as they were studying and reviewing Golpalott's Third Law for Potions Class. It was around nine-thirty when they left the library with their arms fulls of parchment and books. The three of them were cutting it close to being past curfew.

"Do you think the Third Law is a valid law?" asked Albus.

"Of course!" said Rose. "Why else would it be a law?"

"Lots of laws aren't valid," countered Scorpius. Before Rose could counter that argument, she stopped in her tracks.

"What's the matter, Rosie?" asked Albus however Rose didn't answer right away.

"Do you hear that?" asked Rose. Just then, Albus and Scorpius heard some faint but sinister laughter.

"C'mon!" said Scorpius as they all darted down the corridor.

As they turned the corner, the first thing the three of them saw was Troy, Bruno, Stanley, and Kyra with their wands pointed up to the ceiling. When the trio looked up, they were shocked and horrified. A first-year Slytherin girl was levitating in the sky. She was upside down and although she was wearing tights, her skirt had fallen down slightly, revealing the top of her tights.

"You sick freaks!" cried Albus.

"What are you doing to her?" yelled Scorpius.

"Put her down!" protested Rose approaching the group. Troy turned his head to face and gave her a smug smile. Meanwhile, Scorpius and Albus stood behind to shield their eyes out of respect for the poor girl floating in the air.

"Fine," said Troy as he snapped his fingers.

"No!" cried Rose in horror as the first year fell towards the ground screaming.

"_Descendo_!" cried Albus as he directed the girl to land softly on the run. Once she was safe, the first year got up and ran off in tears. Troy turned to face the trio with Kyra stood next to him, Stanley standing on the left and Bruno on the right.

"So this is how the Loyalty Leaders unite the school?" asked Scorpius as he stood with Rose and Albus close together.

"Maybe you should mind your own business, pureblood," snarled Stanley.

"Maybe you shouldn't pick on little girls," countered Albus.

"Didn't know you were interested in girls, poof," said Bruno.

"You wish a girl were interested in your ugly mug," retorted Rose. At this remark, Bruno puffed his chest as his cheeks turned bright red.

"_S__erpensortia!" _cried Bruno, as a dark green snake flew towards Rose.

"_Riddikulus!"_ cried Scorpius turning the snake into a rubber eel.

Before long, hexes and counter-curses were being thrown across the corridor. Scorpius continued to battled with Bruno as they casted hexes and jinxes back at each other. Albus and Stanley were engaged in a battle, with Stanley being on the offensive using _stupefy_ and _locotor wiggly _while Albus used his deflecting spells. Meanwhile, Kyra and Rose were dueling each other in a long awaited battle with each other.

Once Scorpius had the upper hand on Bruno, he threw ajinx to make Bruno's legs collapsed like jelly. When Scorpius looked up from watching Bruno squirmed around on the floor, he saw that Troy was standing along the wall. The moment Scorpius peered at Troy, Scorpius saw Troy's knees buckle and body tremble.

"Oi, Charmer!" called out Scorpius as he opened his arms to show he was ready for a fight as Troy tried to get away from Scorpius. Scorpius had been ready for this battle since first year when Troy first started tormenting him and his friends. Troy realized that he had nowhere to hide and was about to attack. However, Scorpius noticed that Troy's hand was trembling with fear, which was something Scorpius never saw before.

"What's all this?!" cried Neville walking in to the corridor. At the sound of the voice, all seven students stopped what they were doing and turned to face Neville.

"Thank Merlin you're here, Professor!" said Kyra,very dramatically. "We found these three torturing a poor first year student..."

"Save it, Miss Ballington," snapped Neville. "I saw the first year student crying her eyes out. I know it was you, Mr. Charmer, Mr. Tugg, and Mr. Steward. You four - and Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, and Mr. Malfoy - will report to the Headmistress's office in the morning to discuss your actions."

"But Professor!" protested Scorpius.

"But nothing Mr. Malfoy!" said Neville firmly. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor," said everyone except Troy.

"Mr. Charmer?" repeated Neville as Troy continued to scowl at him.

"You'll regret this, Professor," threatened Troy as he and his cronies walked away from Neville. Al, Rose, and Scorpius stood in stunned silence at Troy's brazenness. statement towards Neville.

"Professor -" said Albus concerned about his godfather.

"Get back to the dorms, _now_, " said Neville rather sternly.

"Yes, Professor," said the teenagers as the scurried off with their books and parchments.

That night, the three of them realized that Hogwarts had taken a dark turn.


	27. Chapter 27

The Order assigned Ron a search mission to find a woman who had gone into hiding with her children after her partner was murdered by two figures in red robes and gold masks. Harry volunteered to go with Ron but Shacklebolt ordered Harry to rest for the day due to the countless days and nights working for the Ministry and the Order. Much to Draco's surprise, he went from being Hermione's secretary to Ron's righthand man.

On the day of the mission, there was a downpour of rain in London that Ron and Draco had to drudge through to reach their destination. The rainfall was so strong that having umbrellas did little to prevent their clothes from being thoroughly soaked. Ron felt his ginger hair almost sticking to his forehead as a result of the rain. Draco was also not spared with his newly dyed hair to prevent him from being discovered.

"Wolf Hall - Weasley, is this it?" asked Draco, stopping under the cover.

"Yea, that's the place," said Ron.

Once Draco and Ron walked into the hotel, they both of them felt the warmth of a fireplace hit their wet clothes. Wolf Hall was a ghastly imitation of a Tudor estate with wood panels, tapestries, and a giant stone fireplace to the left of the entrance. Ron surveyed the area to make sure no one followed them, even going as fair and pace around the perimeter of the lobby and checking behind all the walkways and tapestries.

"Weasley, will you stop that?" hissed Draco. "You're going to make people suspicious!"

Before Ron could respond, Draco turned Ron around and pointed to the back of a woman with a dark brown plait. Just then, the woman turned around and her face went from tense to nervous. As she walked away. Ron and Draco subtly but urgently followed behind her. Soon, the woman went from walking to running and the men pcike dup the pace to stay on her tail.

"Gemma!" cried out Ron as they followed her down a hall. "Wait!"

Gemma Farley was a former classmate of Ron and Draco. Just like Draco, Gemma was a member of Slytherin. However, Gemma was not thrilled to see Draco or Ron and was trying avoid them.

"Gemma, please, stop!" cried out Draco. "It's me, Draco Malfoy!"

"No you're not!" said Gemma finally facing the men and drawing her wand at them. "Since when do Malfoys have hair the color of ink?"

"Since Malfoys are hunted like rabbits," said Draco moving . "And needed a quick disguise."

"And since when does a Malfoy hang out with a blood traitor like Ron Weasley?" asked Gemma, pointing her wand at Ron.

"Please, we're here to help," said Ron dropping his wand and put both his hands up to show he was not going to harm her.

"I don't need or want your help!" cried Gemma her voice trembling with hysteria as she took a defensive stance. "Just GO AWAY!"

Suddenly, the door near Gemma opened to reveal a small boy with tousled dirty blonde hair wearing a knitted jumper and dark blue joggers. Next to him was a little girl with dark short hair, a yellow shirt, and overalls.

"Mum?" said the boy.

"Go back inside, love," said Gemma firmly as she backied up to shelter the children.

"Are these your kids?" asked Draco with Gemma slightly nodding in response to confirm this fact.

"What are their names?" asked Ron gently.

"Jacob and Isabella," said Gemma.

"Gemma," said Ron. "The Order of the Phoenix sent me here - we want to help you and your kids, but I need you to trust me."

For a while, Gemma remained silent as tears formed in her tears and fell down her face.

"I'm so scared," she said as she rubbed her eyes. "I can't lose my kids, not after I've lost my whole family."

"I know how scared you are," said Draco. "But trust me, as hard as it is to believe, there are still good people out there. Look at Weasley here - he's been hiding my boy for the past several months and there's no one else I trust to keep him safe."

Ron felt touched by Draco's praise. Without realizing it, a smile formed on Ron's face as he heard those words.

"Here, come inside," said Gemma, moving her kids out of the doorframe so Ron and Draco could enter. The men entered the room which had a giant king size bed, a television, a dresser, and a large sage green chair. Ron and Draco remained standing while Gemma sat on the bed with Isabella in her lap and Jacob played with some trains on the floor.

"Where are you going to hide us?" asked Gemma.

"My family's cottage by the ocean," said Ron. "You and your kids will stay there for a few days, then we'll move you to France."

"France?" repeated Gemma, slightly surprised.

"Weasley's brother is married to the Veela girl, Fleur Delacour," said Draco. "Through their connections, a couple of Veela communities have offered to hid any widows and children until this whole thing blows over."

"When do you think this will all be over?" asked Gemma.

"As soon as we get Jason Charmer in Azkaban," said Ron.

Ron watched Gemma as she surveyed the room and observed her children. Gemma's face varied between tense and nervous to determined and focused.

"Alright," said Gemma after a few minutes. "Shall we start packing?"


	28. Chapter 28

Rose sighed as she worked on her schoolwork in the Great Hall. Normally the boys would be present for study hall, however Albus was tutoring some first-years for their Charms lesson and Scorpius was running some Quidditch drills for the Slytherin team. Today, Rose was feeling restless for some reason and could not focus on her assignment.

"Rosie? Is everything alright?" asked Lexie.

"I'm not sure," said Rose rolling up her parchment. "I think I'll go for a walk to clear my head."

"We'll watch your things," said Pooja. As Rose walked out of the Great Hall, she saw Hugo and Finn entering with Louis with his left arm in a sling.

"Lou, what happened?" asked Rose.

"I fell off my broomstick doing a zig-zag," replied Louis.

"We were trying to see how many Lou could do under a minute!" said Finn excitedly.

"Why would you do that?" groaned Rose.

"Why not?" countered Hugo. "Anyway, if you're looking for your boyfriend, he's out on the Quidditch pitch."

"He's not my boyfriend!" retorted Rose as the boys walked away laughing.

It was the first mild weather week of the school courtyard ground had patches of green and trees with some white and yellow blossoms sprouting around the trees. Even the sky was clear blue with a few wisps of clouds and no longer grey.

The ground beneath Rose was so soft from the melted snow that she had move quickly to avoid getting her school shoes muddy. When Rose reached the Quidditch pitch, she looked around for Scorpius. As she walked around the pitch, she found Scorpius with a white unicorn with a shaved horn. Scorpius saw Rose and waved at her to come over towards the unicorn, Lachasse.

Lachasse was a gorgeous unicorn with a white coat, wispy mane, and a shaved down silver horn. Due to the cruelty of her prior owner, Hagrid took in Lachasse since she would have not survived in the wild with her shaven horn. Lachasse still had on her leather halter and reins, so Scorpius was able to have some control over her.

"Go on," urged Scorpius. Rose reached out her hand so Lachasse could smell her scent, which was a trick Rose learned from her Uncle Charlie. Lachasse nuzzled her nose into Rose's hand and made Rose laugh with glee.

"You know," said Scorpius with a mischievous grin forming across his face. "Hagrid's probably looking for her..."

"Oh no," said Rose stepping back from Lachasse. "Absolutely not! You're not riding Lachasse, Scorpius, it's too dangerous!"

"Rose, I'm a Quidditch player," argued Scorpius. "If I can control a broomstick, I can control a docile unicorn. Now, hop on!"

Rose was torn. On the one hand, she was afraid she may fall off and break her neck against the ground. On the other hand, she wanted to prove Scorpius wrong.

"_Levisocorpus_," said Rose pointing her wand at herself to get on Lachasse's back. Shortly after Rose got on Lachasse's back, Scorpius repeated the same charm and placed himself behind Rose.

When Scorpius reached his arms out to grab the reins, Rose blushed as she felt his arms at her sides. Although they were used to sitting next to each other for six years, this was the closest they had ever been together.

"Rosie, can you help me?" asked Scorpius. Still in her fog, Rose fumbled to hand the reins over to Scorpius.

Suddenly, Scorpius tugged the reins and Rose felt the air from Lachasse's wings hit her cheeks. The next moment Rose looked over Lachasse's shoulder and saw Lachasse's shadow growing smaller and smaller.

"Hold on tight!" said Scorpius. All of the sudden, Lachasse darted towards the clear blue sky, making Rose scream out of fear and Scorpius whoop out of excitement.

"Look Rose!" cried Scorpius excitedly. Slowly Rose opened her eyes and lifted herself up after immediately grabbing Lachasse's shoulders upon takeoff. When she looked to the right, she gasped at the view.

From this vantage point, Hogwarts seemed like a dollhouse. Rose remembered how enormous the castle was when she came to the school as a first-year on a boat through the Great Lake. Now the castle dwarfed in comparison to the acres of land surrounding the school.

All of the sudden, Rose felt Scorpius giving her the reins. Before Rose could asked him what he doing, Rose noticed two arms and realized Scorpius held his arms out like wings.

"Are you mad?!" cried out Rose.

"Try it!" said Scorpius taking the reins back from Rose.

"I can't!" said Rose, holding tight to Lachasse.

"Yes, you can!" said Scorpius. "I've got you!" Before Rose could protest, she felt Scorpius's arms wrapped around her waist and a sense of security came over her. Rose raised her arms and felt the wind against her school robes. The cold air made Rose feel invigorated and exhilarated. For the first time Rose understood her family's love of flying and Quidditch. As Lachasse whinnied, Rose also yelled out of euphoria and joy.

Just then, Lachasse began to descend towards Hagrid's hut and Rose grabbed Lachasse's shoulders. Once Lachasse landed and came to a full stop, Scorpius jumped off of Lachasse before helping Rose down.

For a brief second, Rose and Scorpius faced each other with his arms holding her waist and her hands on his shoulders. Rose noticed Scorpius slightly blushing and a slightly playful smile. Still feeling the rush of euphoria from the flight, Rose began to lean in towards Scorpius.

"Hullo Rose! Hullo Scorpius!" cried out Hagrid coming out of his hut. The booming voice caused the two teenagers to break apart. "What are ye two doin' here?"

"Lachasse was at the Quidditch pitch," said Scorpius feeling sheepish about his interrupted moment with Rose. "We figured we bring her back."

"Well, thank ye both!" said Hagrid, taking Lachasse's reins. It was clear that Hagrid was oblivious to the tender moment that he has interrupted as got in between Rose and Scorpius to take Lachasse. "Much appreciated! I'll make sure ye each get points for yer houses!"

"Thanks," said Rose and Scorpius, without much enthusiasm.

"Ye two better get back to the castle - it's almost supper time," instructed Hagrid.

"We will," said Rose. "We'll see you later, Hagrid."

"See ye around!" said Hagrid, walking away with Lachasse.

Both Rose and Scorpius stood in awkward silence as they could hear Lachasse trying to pull away from Hagrid and Hagrid grumbling at her. Rose couldn't believe she had attempted to _kiss_ Scorpius. Now she was convinced that she had gone completely mad.

"We really should head back," mumbled Rose.

"Yeah," said Scorpius as he looked down so Rose would not see his red face. "I hope there's pie tonight." At that remark, Rose groaned as the palm of her hand hit her forehead.


	29. Chapter 29

"No, Hattie!" said Draco, chasing the almost three-year-old around the Weasleys' flat. Hattie had taken Draco's wand out of his robe and was now running around with it, laughing as Draco attempted to get it out of her tiny grasp. It had been a while since Draco had been around a child that small and her energy worn him down.

"Please, Hattie!" plead Draco. "Can Mr. Malfoy have his wand back?"

"No!" laughed Hattie, running around the couch. Luckily for Draco, Ron opened the door to the flat. When he saw Hattie around, Ron immediately went in and scooped her up.

"Weasley, she's got my wand!" protested Draco.

"Seriously, Malfoy?" said Ron, raising his eyebrows. "You're the adult - just take it from her."

"She's got more energy than a pixie!" said Draco. "I couldn't keep up! I don't know how you and Granger do this!"

"Lots of tea," said Ron. "Right, Hattie, give Daddy the wand please."

"No!" said Hattie, who held the wand close to her.

"Hattie," said Ron firmly. "Give me the wand now or I'll put you in the naughty spot."

"NO!" yelled Hattie on the verge of a tantrum.

"Fine, then I guess we'll have to call Mummy," shrugged Ron which resulted in Hattie giving her father the wand.

"That's what I thought," said Ron, putting her down on the ground. "Now, why don't you go get your train for Mr. Malfoy?" As Hattie darted to her room, Draco plopped himself on the couch.

"I'm absolutely knackered," sighed Draco, leaning back into cushions. "Any word from the Ministry?"

"Nothing," said Ron, checking his mobile to see if Harry sent him a message. "Last thing I heard was from Seamus. He said the Ministry's dead quiet right now."

"Weasley," said Draco. "You still don't think it's the Ministry they're after, do you?"

Ron sighed as he collapsed into the armchair. "No, I don't think it's the Ministry. But everyone else thinks so, so..."

"So what?" countered Draco. "You can still have an opinion even if it's not the same as the others."

"Whatever, Malfoy," mumbled Ron, not really in a mood to argue with Draco.

Hattie appeared as she crawled on the floor to play with her train set. It was a gift from Neville for Hugo's first birthday. The train had the Hogwarts Express's head end and caboose, while the passenger cars spelt out "Hogwarts" and painted the same red colour as the cars. Recently Hattie discovered it in Hugo's room and now, with Hugo's blessing, she was constantly playing with it.

"Look!" said Hattie.

"Oh wow! Is that your train?" asked Draco. "Oh dear! I think some of the letters are in the wrong place - may I fix it, please?"

"Okay," said Hattie, as Draco got down on the ground to spell out Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Ron stared at the letters as though they were a puzzle. Although it was not a complex puzzle, Ron realized the significance behind the word.

"Bloody hell," gasped Ron nearly collapsing. "Draco, how many letters are in Hogwarts?"

"Um, eight, why?" replied Draco. Upon saying the number aloud, Draco's face went from confusion to horror at what Ron was getting at in his question.

"What do we do?" asked Draco, fearing for Scorpius' safety.

"Use the floo to get in touch with Harry," said Ron reaching for his mobile. "I have get her out of there."

* * *

Hermione had gone to Hogwarts to visit Hannah for lunch that day. However, Hannah was busy treating a student so Hermione decided to walk around for a bit while she waited for Hannah to finish up. As she walked, Hermione felt cramps in her lower back and stomach. Hermione knew what this meant but was too stubborn to admit it. If this was a false start, Hermione would take Ron away from the battle front. Hermione also did not want Ron to worry about her.

"Mum!" called out Rose, waving to Hermione.

"Hello, sweetheart!" smiled Hermione. "Where are the boys?"

"Back at the Great Hall," said Rose.

"Are are you going to the Hospital Wing?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah," said Rose. "I need to get a draught from Madam Abbott for my cramps." At hearing the word "cramp", Hermione felt another painful contortion of her stomach and back kick.

"Mum?" said Rose, slightly frightened and unsettled seeing her normally strong mother hurting. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, love," said Hermione, wincing as the pain subsided.

"You're not in labor, are you?" asked Rose. "Because it looks like you're having a contraction..." Just then, Hermione felt another sharp pain that made her hunch over and put her hands on her knee to stabilize herself. Luckily, Rose was there and immediately went to her mother's side.

"Mum, you have to go to the hospital," said Rose, as she helped her mother stand straight. Just then, Hermione's mobile buzzed but because Hermione was still feeling the pain she gave it to Rose.

"'Mione?" said Ron, panic in his voice that bordered on hysterical.

"No, it's Rose," said Rose trying to hide her panic.

"Rose, you need to get your mum out of there," said Ron.

"I know, Dad," said Rose, not understanding the severity of Ron's order. Suddenly Rose felt some water on her school shoe despite the sunny day.

"Rose?" said Ron panicking even more.

"Dad, Mum's in labor," said Rose. The next Rose heard was Ron incoherently yelling so loudly that she moved the mobile away from her ear.

Just then, an explosion came from the hospital wing.

"_Protego!" _said Rose casting a shield over her mother. Once the initial shock wore off, Rose noticed McGonagall out on the quad to investigate the explosion.

Before McGonagall could ask any questions, another more powerful explosion came from the hospital wing. McGonagall immediately shielded Rose and Hermione. As Rose felt her mother's arms wrap around in a protective embrace, she dropped the mobile and grasp her mother's arms tightly.

* * *

All Ron heard was a loud boom and some screaming. When a minute passed without hearing Rose or Hermione's voice, Ron felt his heart stop. Without hesitation, Ron scooped up Hattie and stepped into the fireplace.

"What's going on?" inquired Draco.

"Call Harry," said Ron tossing Draco the mobile. "Tell him to get to Hogwarts - I'm taking her to the Burrow."

Before Draco could response, Ron disappeared with Hattie through the floor. Without hesitation, Draco called Harry.

"Potter?" said Draco. "We have a problem."


	30. Chapter 30

"No, Hattie!" said Draco, chasing the almost three-year-old around the Weasleys' flat. Hattie had taken Draco's wand out of his robe and was now running around with it, laughing as Draco attempted to get it out of her tiny grasp. It had been a while since Draco had been around a child that small and her energy worn him down.

"Please, Hattie!" plead Draco. "Can Mr. Malfoy have his wand back?"

"No!" laughed Hattie, running around the couch. Luckily for Draco, Ron opened the door to the flat. When he saw Hattie around, Ron immediately went in and scooped her up.

"Weasley, she's got my wand!" protested Draco.

"Seriously, Malfoy?" said Ron, raising his eyebrows. "You're the adult - just take it from her."

"She's got more energy than a pixie!" said Draco. "I couldn't keep up! I don't know how you and Granger do this!"

"Lots of tea," said Ron. "Right, Hattie, give Daddy the wand please."

"No!" said Hattie, who held the wand close to her.

"Hattie," said Ron firmly. "Give me the wand now or I'll put you in the naughty spot."

"NO!" yelled Hattie on the verge of a tantrum.

"Fine, then I guess we'll have to call Mummy," shrugged Ron which resulted in Hattie giving her father the wand.

"That's what I thought," said Ron, putting her down on the ground. "Now, why don't you go get your train for Mr. Malfoy?" As Hattie darted to her room, Draco plopped himself on the couch.

"I'm absolutely knackered," sighed Draco, leaning back into cushions. "Any word from the Ministry?"

"Nothing," said Ron, checking his mobile to see if Harry sent him a message. "Last thing I heard was from Seamus. He said the Ministry's dead quiet right now."

"Weasley," said Draco. "You still don't think it's the Ministry they're after, do you?"

Ron sighed as he collapsed into the armchair. "No, I don't think it's the Ministry. But everyone else thinks so, so..."

"So what?" countered Draco. "You can still have an opinion even if it's not the same as the others."

"Whatever, Malfoy," mumbled Ron, not really in a mood to argue with Draco.

Hattie appeared as she crawled on the floor to play with her train set. It was a gift from Neville for Hugo's first birthday. The train had the Hogwarts Express's head end and caboose, while the passenger cars spelt out "Hogwarts" and painted the same red colour as the cars. Recently Hattie discovered it in Hugo's room and now, with Hugo's blessing, she was constantly playing with it.

"Look!" said Hattie.

"Oh wow! Is that your train?" asked Draco. "Oh dear! I think some of the letters are in the wrong place - may I fix it, please?"

"Okay," said Hattie, as Draco got down on the ground to spell out Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Ron stared at the letters as though they were a puzzle. Although it was not a complex puzzle, Ron realized the significance behind the word.

"Bloody hell," gasped Ron nearly collapsing. "Draco, how many letters are in Hogwarts?"

"Um, eight, why?" replied Draco. Upon saying the number aloud, Draco's face went from confusion to horror at what Ron was getting at in his question.

"What do we do?" asked Draco, fearing for Scorpius' safety.

"Use the floo to get in touch with Harry," said Ron reaching for his mobile. "I have get her out of there."

* * *

Hermione had gone to Hogwarts to visit Hannah for lunch that day. However, Hannah was busy treating a student so Hermione decided to walk around for a bit while she waited for Hannah to finish up. As she walked, Hermione felt cramps in her lower back and stomach. Hermione knew what this meant but was too stubborn to admit it. If this was a false start, Hermione would take Ron away from the battle front. Hermione also did not want Ron to worry about her.

"Mum!" called out Rose, waving to Hermione.

"Hello, sweetheart!" smiled Hermione. "Where are the boys?"

"Back at the Great Hall," said Rose.

"Are are you going to the Hospital Wing?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah," said Rose. "I need to get a draught from Madam Abbott for my cramps." At hearing the word "cramp", Hermione felt another painful contortion of her stomach and back kick.

"Mum?" said Rose, slightly frightened and unsettled seeing her normally strong mother hurting. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, love," said Hermione, wincing as the pain subsided.

"You're not in labor, are you?" asked Rose. "Because it looks like you're having a contraction..." Just then, Hermione felt another sharp pain that made her hunch over and put her hands on her knee to stabilize herself. Luckily, Rose was there and immediately went to her mother's side.

"Mum, you have to go to the hospital," said Rose, as she helped her mother stand straight. Just then, Hermione's mobile buzzed but because Hermione was still feeling the pain she gave it to Rose.

"'Mione?" said Ron, panic in his voice that bordered on hysterical.

"No, it's Rose," said Rose trying to hide her panic.

"Rose, you need to get your mum out of there," said Ron.

"I know, Dad," said Rose, not understanding the severity of Ron's order. Suddenly Rose felt some water on her school shoe despite the sunny day.

"Rose?" said Ron panicking even more.

"Dad, Mum's in labor," said Rose. The next Rose heard was Ron incoherently yelling so loudly that she moved the mobile away from her ear.

Just then, an explosion came from the hospital wing.

"_Protego!" _said Rose casting a shield over her mother. Once the initial shock wore off, Rose noticed McGonagall out on the quad to investigate the explosion.

Before McGonagall could ask any questions, another more powerful explosion came from the hospital wing. McGonagall immediately shielded Rose and Hermione. As Rose felt her mother's arms wrap around in a protective embrace, she dropped the mobile and grasp her mother's arms tightly.

* * *

All Ron heard was a loud boom and some screaming. When a minute passed without hearing Rose or Hermione's voice, Ron felt his heart stop. Without hesitation, Ron scooped up Hattie and stepped into the fireplace.

"What's going on?" inquired Draco.

"Call Harry," said Ron tossing Draco the mobile. "Tell him to get to Hogwarts - I'm taking her to the Burrow."

Before Draco could response, Ron disappeared with Hattie through the floor. Without hesitation, Draco called Harry.

"Potter?" said Draco. "We have a problem."


	31. Chapter 31

The Great Hall was full of students eating their school dinner, catching up with friends, and cramming in last-minute lessons. Suddenly, the tables shook resulting in books and plates fell off the table.

"What the hell was that?" asked Scorpius as he and Albus wiped up the gravy that split from the bowl.

Suddenly, a second explosion rumbled through the hall causing the windows to shattered from the aftershock. Fear enveloped the hall as the students screamed in terror. Another blast sounded off through the hall as Professor Slughorn stood at the door and shot an exploding charm to silence the students.

"EVACUATE!" yelled Slughorn.

Although the students had practiced these drills before in an orderly and organized fashion, most students charged out of the hall with some pushing others out of the way. Al and Scorpius struggled to exit the hall due to the chaos and confusion.

"Al!" cried Iris tearfully as she ran to her brother for comfort. Iris and a couple of other first year girls including Evie stood around Al and Scorpius petrified of the explosions and fearful of the unknown. Soon, three or four other first years Slytherins gravitated towards Scorpius looking for guidance.

"Stay close," said Al as he and Scorpius led the first years out of the hall. On the surface, the boys acted tough and strong so the first years would not worry. However, they both were just as concerned especially since Rose was not with them.

Once they were able to get out, most the first years ran towards the long line of students heading towards Hogsmeade as part of the evacuation plan. Iris and Evie stayed behind when since Evie saw James holding Frankie Longbottom and Rory holding the hands of Alice and Gus.

"What's going on?" asked Al

"No idea," said James as Evie took Frankie from his arms. "We were in the common room when we heard an explosion. Next thing that happened was Professor Longbottom handing us his kids before running off!"

"Professor Slughorn, what's going on?!" shouted Scorpius as he waved his arms to get his attention.

"There's been an attack on the Hospital Wing!" replied Professor Slughorn directing students to the evacuation route. "And that's all I know!"

"No," said Scorpius as his heart sank. He thought back to thirty minutes before when Rose was complaining about Before James could ask them any questions, both Albus and Scorpius darted towards the quad.

"Mr. Malfoy! Mr. Potter!" called out Professor Slughorn as the boys ignored him.

"Keep her safe, Rory," said James referring to Iris. "Find Lily, and get them out of here!"

"No, Jay!" yelled Iris watching James run behind Scorpius and Albus.

"Wait, Mr. Potter!" cried Professor Slughorn triyng to stop James. "Come back - oh no, not you - stop, Mr. Granger-Weasley!"

While Hugo was in line for the evacuation, he saw Albus and Scorpius ran off towards the hospital wing. However, when Hugo did not see his sister with the boys, he hastily broke out of the line and ran towards the boys despite Finn's protests.

"What are you two doing?" asked Al as James and Hugo caught up to him and Scorpius.

"Same thing you are - finding Rose!" said Hugo.

Scorpius felt his pulse increased tenfold as he thought about Rose. The last thing he wanted to see was her body covered in rubble. Suddenly Scorpius felt his speed increased as his adrenaline skyrocketed and the boys sprinted across the cobblestones until saw Neville and Rose fighting off two figures in crimson masks.

"_Stupefy!" _cried Neville as one of the figures flew back and hit the stone wall behind him.

"_Petrificus Totalus!" _said Rose making figure freeze in his tracks up. Scorpius was relieved that Rose wasn't hurt, but his relief was short lived as Hermione, who was hiding behind a column, cried out in pain as she held her stomach.

"Mum, what's wrong?" asked Hugo concerned at seeing his mother in excruciating pain.

"The baby's coming," said Rose. "We have to get her out of here!"

"I'm going ahead," said Neville while Al and Scorpius helped Hermione to her feet. "Go to Hagrid's now!"

Before Hermione responded, a spell hit the roof of one of the upper sections of the stone walls causing rubble to ricochet off and nearly hit the group but for Neville shielding them from the impact.

"Go!" commanded Neville as three figures approached them, although James pulled back with concern at the unfavorable odds against Neville.

Al noticed James taking a defensive stance. It was clear based on this that James was ready for battle. Al looked at James and gave him a quick nod. In response, James gave Al a wink before he ran to help Neville.

"Jay! Come back!" yelled Rose.

"He's fine Rose - let's go!" said Al grabbing her arm.

"We need to get to boat dock," said Scorpius. "We can get off at the edge of the forest." The trek to the docks was treacherous as debris and dust were falling on them and resulted in Rose and Hugo casting protective shields over the group. Meanwhile Hermione continued to have contractions but tried to not slow down the group as they headed towards the dock. An occasional masked figure would appear and attempted to attack the group. Rose noticed that those figures would engage in a fight briefly before taking off or battling a Hogwarts professor or an Order of the Phoenix member. Along the way Bill, Fleur, Seamus, and Lee Jordan appeared before the group. Rose wondered where her father was at this point, especially given her mother's state.

"This way!" said Scorpius, directing everyone to the stairs leading down to docks. Before descending the steps, a bright light hit the top of the entrance causing the front to fall apart. Rose was able to levitate the rubble before it hit Hermione and the boys, and though it was a lot of effort, Rose was able to toss it to the side.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked a familiar, slimy voice that sent chills down Rose's spine, recognizing it as Stanley Steward. Much to their chagrin, Troy, Kyra, Bruno, and Stanley stood before the group all pointing their wands at them.

"Trying to escape, cowards?" asked Kyra. Rose and Hugo stood in front of their mum with their wands up also prepared to defend themselves.

"Your poor mum," sighed Troy. "She's in such pain. Just leave us Malfoy and we'll let you lot get her to a healer..."

"Sod off, Troy!" snapped Hugo as he and Rose stood in front of Hermione.

"Very well," laughed Troy manically as he using a spell to knock Hugo off his feet and hit the ground.

"Get her to Hagrid's!" cried Scorpius as he joined the fight with Rose and Hugo. Before Al could say anything, Hermione had a contraction causing her to once more dig her nails into Al's shoulder. Hermione looked at Al's face and saw his fear at doing this alone without his friends by his friends. Hermione put her hand to Al's face to comfort him and let him know that he was not alone in this.

"We can do this," assured Hermione. Al briefly glanced at his friends to make sure they were alright. With that, Al adjusted his hold on Hermione and they escaped to the docks while the other three battled the Loyalty Leaders.


	32. Chapter 32

Ron and Draco stumbled out of the fireplace in Hog's Head. However, they didn't have time to straightened themselves out, as they needed to get to Hogwarts immediately. It was apparent that Aberforth had already gone to Hogwarts, as there was no sign of the large man in sight. Ron ran for the door, with Draco trailing behind him. The two men sprinted through the village, trying to dodge students who were heading to the safe houses for shelter. Although Ron was concerned about his nieces and nephews, his main goal was to find Hermione.

The moment Rose told her father that Hermione had gone into labor, Ron felt himself go into overdrive as he hurried to get to her. As he ran through the streets, Ron felt like everything was in a blur. However, an explosion off one of the roofs caused Ron to snap out of this blur as he and Draco dodged a wooden block that whirled towards them.

"Look out!" cried Draco, as he threw Ron to the ground to move him out of the way of the debris. Ron peered up at the sky and saw a crimson robe flail above the rooftops casting a spell with a purple light, causing a group of students to flee.

"I've got it!" cried a female voice belonging to a young woman running past him. Based on the straight blonde hair Ron knew immediately that it was Victoire Weasley joining the battle.

"Over here!" shouted a big, burly baritone that belonged to Hagrid, who was directing students to an underground shelter. Upon seeing Hagrid, Ron scurried to stand up and ran towards him, with Draco in tow.

"Oi! Hagrid!" yelled Ron, waving his hands to get Hagrid's attention.

"Ron! What are yer doin' here?" asked Hagrid, as he was directing students into the shelter.

"We have to find Hermione!" exclaimed Ron. "She's in labour!"

"Labour?" asked Hagrid, stunned at the words. "Now?"

"Yes, according to Rose!" said Ron. "I need your help, please! If she's in labour now, she can't go to St. Mungo's..."

"Say no more," said Hagrid, understanding the circumstances. "I'll get ye to the castle. Filius! Ciaran! Hold down the fort!" Professors Flitwick and Craven, upon hearing their names, signaled to Hagrid that they received his command and headed towards the shelter. Just then, Hagrid whistled loud enough to pierce Ron and Draco's ears. Soon, two centaurs, one light blue and the other a deep purple, galloped over and bowed to present themselves.

"Where's Firenze?" asked Ron.

"Back at the castle," said the blue centaur. "We were sent to help out with the evacuation."

"Hagrid, what are these centaurs doing here?" asked Draco, slightly perturbed at the sight of the magical beast.

"Helping out of course!" said Hagrid, patting the back of the purple centaur. "C'mon, hop on!"

"Absolutely not!" protested Draco, who had a mistrust of magical creatures ever since his third year.

"Damn it, Draco, get on!" barked Ron, the frustration and tension in his voice rising. Rolling his eyes, Draco hopped on the blue centaur's back along with Ron, while Hagrid got on the other purple centaur's back.

"Take us to Hogwarts," ordered Hagrid. "We've got a woman who's about to give birth!" The centaur that Draco and Ron were on lifted his front legs, causing Draco to nearly tumble off and lose his balance. Ron, still determined to find Hermione, remained perched on the centaur as the creature bolted through the crowd towards the castle.

"Hang on, love," mumbled Ron, hoping Hermione wasn't scared or alone going through this ordeal.

* * *

"Aunt Hermione, can you see the dock?" asked Albus, as he used a locomotion charge to steer the boat along the water.

"Not yet," said Hermione, feeling the pain intensify with each contraction. In an attempt to distract herself from the pain, Hermione turned her attention to the castle. Smoke and flames came from the hospital wing and courtyard, with bursts of coloured lights erupting every minute. The sight of the castle made Hermione think back to the Battle of Hogwarts almost twenty years earlier, which made her feel distressed and traumatized.

"Ah!" bawled Hermione, feeling a sharp pain in her back and around her abdomen.

"Oh bloody hell," murmured Albus, trying not to let his aunt see his fear and anxiety. Even though Scorpius, Rose, and Hermione were confident in Albus, he didn't feel that confident himself. For one thing, Albus knew very little about childbirth, despite his mother having gone through six labour herself. What if something happened to Hermione or the baby under his watch? At that moment, he wished he had Rose's ability to remember everything and Scorpius' fearlessness in approaching new things.

"Albus," asked Hermione. "Do you hear that?" At that question, Albus noticed that he heard a low rumbling noise coming from the right of the lake. The noise slowly grew louder and intensified. Albus recognized the noise as hooves hitting the ground. Sure enough, two centaurs appeared, one with Hagrid and the other with two figures, one with ginger hair and the other with blonde hair.

"Uncle Ron! Mr. Malfoy!" yelled Albus, waving at them. The centaurs approached the water at an accelerating rate, causing dirt and dust to be . The next thing Albus and Hermione saw were the centaurs leaping over the lake.

"Ahhh!" screamed Ron and Draco, before the creature just barely landed on the shoreline. Once the centaur landed, Ron immediately dismounted off the centaur to help Albus directed the boat to the edge of the land. As the boat was brought along the edge of the land, the centaurs helped to hold the boat during which Hagrid helped Albus out of the boat while Ron and Draco helped Hermione out.

"Oh, Ron!" said Hermione, embracing her husband once she was on the dry land.

"'Mione," said Ron, squeezing her tight as he breathed for the first time that day. "Thank Merlin you're alright!"

"You know, I warned you, Granger," sighed Draco, beginning his tangent. "I warned you that something like this would happen..." Before Draco could finish his statement, Hermione shot him a glare that made Draco went to disappear into the ground.

"Where are Rose and Scorpius?" asked Ron.

"Back at the castle," said Albus. "Troy Charmer and his goons ambushed us. I wanted to stay and help, but Scorpius and Rose told me to go ahead."

"Ron, Hugo's there as well," said Hermione, kneeling over as another contraction hit her. "You have to go back to castle."

"What? No! I can't leave you like this!" protested Ron, who had always been present at all of his children's births.

"She won't be alone, Uncle Ron," said Albus. "I'll be with her."

"Same," said Hagrid. "Yer needed up there, Ron." Ron looked at Hermione, who was still holding on to him as the contraction passed. When the contraction has finished, Hermione looked up at Ron and smiled at him. Knowing that Hermione was safe, Ron knew where he had to go and hugged her again.

"I'll get them out," promised Ron.

"I know," responded Hermione, confident in her husband.

"Weasley, let's go!" said Draco, as he got in the boat. Ron kissed Hermione on the forehead before heading towards the boat, but before getting in, Ron noticed Albus trying to hide his panic and fear.

"Don't worry, mate," said Ron, patting Al's shoulder. "Like you said, you're not alone." A small smile appeared on Al's face before one of the centaurs whinnied as a sign that they needed to head to Hagrid's hut now while the battle was still contained.

Ron jumped in with Draco, who started the boat and steered it towards Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Hagrid picked up Hermione and placed her on the purple centaur's back with Al getting on the blue centaur. As the boat sailed down the river, Ron got one last glimpse of the centaurs galloping towards the edge of the forest to Hagrid's hut.

"Weasley," said Draco, with dread in his tone. Ron turned his head towards the castle, glowing with flames. The same dread that Draco felt hit Ron instantly, and Ron immediately casted another locomotion spell to speed up the boat.

* * *

Meanwhile Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius continued to battle Troy, Kyra, Bruno, and Stanley. It was clear that Troy was aiming towards Scorpius, so the Weasley siblings took on the other three.

"This is harder than it looks!" exclaimed Hugo to Rose, as he and Rose were blocking the spells casted by the other three. "When do we get to fire back?"

"When the time is right!" said Rose, taking on Kyra and Stanley.

"_Crucio!"_ yelled Bruno, aiming towards Hugo, who was able to block the curse.

"Bloody hell, Tugg!" said Hugo, shaken by having the an Unforgivable curse thrown at him. "What was that for?"

"_Crucio!" _ cried Bruno again, with Hugo dodging the curse this time rather than blocking it.

"_Expelliarmus!" _shouted Hugo. Despite only recently learning the spell, the wand left a stunned Bruno's hand and flew towards Hugo's free hand.

"Well done, Hugo!" complimented Rose, as she managed to successfully cast a spell binding Kyra and Stanley together while they were distracted by Hugo and Bruno's duel. At the sight of his copatriots bounded, Bruno immediately flee the scene, but not before Rose locked his legs together to prevent his escape.

"_Stupefy_!" cried Scorpius, as he managed to threw Troy across the space. After Troy landed on the ground, he tried to get up and attack Scorpius. Before Scorpius or Rose had the chance grab Troy's wand, Scorpius was lifted into the air, clutching his throat as he struggled to breathe.

"But, how?" gasped Hugo, as Scorpius flailing around trying to release the mysterious grip.

"No!" cried Rose, horrified at seeing him in such pain. However, before she could do anything, Rose felt herself attached to Hugo and hit the ground. When she tried to stand up, she realized that she and Hugo had been bounded together by chains.

"What's going on?" asked Hugo, as he and Rose managed to get from the floor to a seated position.

Rose's heart went to her throat from the terror that was before her. There was Jason Charmer, covered in dust and a few scrapes, with his wand directed at Scorpius. Besides Charmer was Gamp, who had a smirk on his face as he watched Rose and Hugo squirm on the ground. Also, to Rose's horror, there stood Bohrs Dearborn, a member of the Order. However, when Rose noticed that he wasn't helping Scorpius or ceasing the torture, she knew that Dearborn was cooperating with Charmer and Gamp.

For the first time that day, Rose felt helpless and hopeless.


	33. Chapter 33

"Scorpius Malfoy," said Charmer, his sickly sweet tone more menacing than ever. "We finally meet face to face..."

"Leave him alone!" cried Rose trying to free herself.

"Let him go, you slimy sod!" shouted Hugo also wriggling himself out of the chains.

"Gampy, if you please," yawned Charmer unaffected by the Weasleys' pleas. Gamp gleefully flicked his wand towards the Grangers-Weasleys and gagged them both.

"Much better," said Charmer. "Now, as I was saying...Troy, get up! You're being ridiculous!"

"Sorry, Father," mumbled Troy, who was struggling to stand up.

"Forgive my son's incompetence," said Charmer addressing Scorpius. "But now, Mister Malfoy, you have my upmost attention. You know I've skinned plenty of snakes already, but I would love to add the skins of the Malfoys to my collection."

"Why?" asked Scorpius gasping for air.

"You don't know?" asked Charmer. "Well, many years before the Dark Lord appeared, the Malfoys and Charmers entered a business deal that allowed Malfoy Industries to thrive, but Charmer Corporation to suffer. I see your father still has that same avarice..."

"Why...me...then?" wheezed Scorpius feeling his eyes watering from the lack of oxygen.

"Well, Mister Malfoy," said Charmer tightened his grip on Scorpius "I can't change the past, but I can control the future. And I intend to rid the world of all the future snakes, including you. Today, your family line ends with your DEATH!"

"NO!" cried Rose vainly knowing her muffled pleas went unheard.

All of the sudden, a blue light struck Charmer in the back and he fell face first on the cobblestone ground. Without Charmer's control, Scorpius dropped to the ground as his throat was no longer restricted. Just as Scorpius looked up, he immediately ducked as another blue light soared overhead and threw Bohrs towards the wall.

"What in Merlin's beard - " said Gamp before the same blue light tossed him over next to Bohrs.

As Scorpius picked himself up from the ground, he felt someone help him up to his feet. The sudden burst of movement almost made Scorpius toppled over due to his dizziness from a lack of oxygen. Luckily, someone caught Scorpius before him could hit the ground again.

"Hang in there, son," said Draco.

"Father..." said Scorpius, his voice still hoarse.

"Draco! Watch out!" cried Ron while freeing Rose and Hugo from their bindings. Immediately, Draco grabbed Scorpius and shield him with his back from a burst of gold light that hit his back. Scorpius peered over and saw Charmer pointing his wand at his father. The menacing and deranged look on Charmer's face terrified Scorpius.

"Go to Hagrid's!" said Ron running into fray before Rose or Hugo could ask him about Hermione.

"Mr. Weasley - " said Scorpius still in a daze.

"Get out of here!" said Ron as he pushed Scorpius towards his children. Rose and Hugo grabbed Scorpius's sleeve to pull him towards the evacuation route, however Troy and his group cornered the three of them with a barrage of spells. Despite their attempts to defend themselves, a spell hit Hugo's leg and caused him to buckle over with pain.

"Aw, does Weasley need his mummy to kiss his boo-boo?" jeered Stanley as Hugo stood back up.

"Maybe Daddy will make it better!" joined Troy which resulted in raucous laughter from the others.

"At least my dad loves me!" sneered Hugo. This comment made Troy's smug smile dissolve into a frown. All of the sudden, Troy began to hurl spells at Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius at an alarming rate that made Kyra, Bruno, and Stanley back off in awe and fear.

"_Levicorpus!"_ cried Rose, turning Troy upside down and again lose his wand.

"I hope Mum's okay," said Hugo as Troy's minions began to attack again.

"Me too!" replied Rose blocking one of Kyra's hair removal spells.

* * *

Hermione was sitting on Hagrid's bed trying to manage her labour pains. Hagrid's hut equipment needed for labour and had delivered centaur babies in the past. While Hagrid checked Hermione and the baby's vitals, Al rummaged through the potion cabinet to find something to alleviate the pain.

"Ye sure you're comfortable with this, Hermione?" asked Hagrid before touching her stomach to feel around for the baby.

"For the last time, yes!" groaned Hermione. "Hagrid, we don't have very many options at this point."

"Here Aunt Hermione, this should help with the pain," said Albus, handing her a towel soaked in Burning Bitterroot Balm.

"Thank you, Albus," said Hermione as he placed it on her forehead. Much to Al's relief, Hermione's face instantly relaxed as the balm relieved her pain.

"The baby's heart sounds good, 'Mione," said Hagrid using a stethoscope. Before Hermione could answer that, another contraction hit her and her face went from wincing with pain to tense with apprehension.

"What is it?" asked Al.

"The baby's coming," said Hermione. Without hesitation, Hagrid grabbed towels from the warming rack and rubbing alcohol while Albus stood around confusion.

"Hagrid, do you know what you're doing?" asked Albus.

"More er less," replied Hagrid kneeling on the ground at the foot of the bed. "It'll be like delivering a centaur, or a Kelpie,"

"Not helpful," groaned Albus. "And please don't call the baby a Kelpie!"

"Alright, stand here" said Hagrid directing Albus next to him. "You're gonna have to help me catch the baby."

"Catch the baby?" exclaimed Albus. "Like a quaffle?"

"There's very slippery," explained Hagrid. "You see, Albus."

"HAGRID, I NEED TO PUSH!" yelled Hermione feeling herself entering the ring of fire.

"Right- ya ready, Al?" asked Hagrid. Al looked in awe at both the determination and pain on Hermione's face. If she could go through childbirth in the middle of battle, then he could be just as brave and stand by her side, or least at the edge of the bed to catch the baby.

"Let's do it!" said Al.


	34. Chapter 34

Ron's brow and palms were drenched with sweat due to the heat radiating off the flames. At one point, Ron nearly lost his grip over the wand in the process which allowed Charmer to materialize a giant boulder from the debris and throwing it at Ron and Draco. To Ron's surprise, Draco managed to blast the boulder before it could do some damage with some of the rocky debris managed to scratch Ron's face as it scattered.

"Nice one, Malfoy!" applauded Ron. "Didn't know you had that in you!"

"Always a tone of surprise!" said Draco giving a slight dry laugh before cowering over in pain from a gold light hitting his chest.

"Malfoy!" cried Ron running over him assist him.

"I'm fine, Weasley," groaned Draco getting up from the ground. Right across from Draco was Charmer, who peered over him with a cruel grin across his face. The expression filled Ron with rage as he stood back up and aimed a final spell at Charmer.

"_Immobulus!" _cried Ron freezing Charmer before he could further incapacitate Draco.

Ron turned his head and saw Hugo holding on to his leg while Rose tried to fight off Kyra and Stanley. Without hesitation, Ron a powerful stunning and three Stanley, Bruno, Kyra, and an upside-down Troy across the room. Suddenly, Ron felt himself lose his balance from the force of a shield Draco casted over them to protect against spells Gamp and Bohrs. Ron was astonished that even while wounded, Draco wanted to protect Ron which was something that Ron never thought would be possible years ago.

"Ron!" cried out Harry as he entered the fray with Seamus and Dennis at his sides.

"Harry!" called out Ron as Seamus and Dennis took on fighting Bohrs and Gamp.

"Neville told me everything - wait, I thought Al was here?" asked Harry.

"He's at Hagrid's with Hermione," said Ron. "She's going to give birth any minute now..."

"And you need to go, now!" said Harry when another blast appeared causing more rubble from the castle to fly off and nearly hit the kids but for Rose and Scorpius grabbing Hugo and . However, Scorpius noticed his father was still struggling to get up, despite a lack of blood or signs of impairment and injury.

"Father, what's wrong?" asked Scorpius walking over to help his father to his feet.

"I'm fine, son," replied Draco giving him a lopsided smile. "I'm your father, I'm invincible!" At that comment, Scorpius rolled his eyes and laughed at his father.

"C'mon, let's go!" shouted Ron as the group headed down to the boat.

* * *

The last thing Albus expected to do at sixteen was assisting with the birth of a child, let alone his own cousin. The birth was both stressful for Albus to watch Hermione go through the pain and rewarding once the baby was placed on Hermione's chest. Now Albus cleaned and swaddled the crying newborn, smiling as he noticed the bright red fuzz on the baby's head. As Albus handed the baby back to exhausted but Hermione, Hermione reached out for his hand and squeezed it to let him know her appreciation.

The tender moment was interrupted when Ron bolted through the hut's door with Rose, Scorpius, and Hugo trailing behind him. Upon seeing Hermione with their new baby, a grin grew across Ron's face.

"Hermione," sighed Ron lovingly as he walked towards the .

"Ye should've seen her, Ron," said Hagrid. "She was absolutely class!"

"Thank you, both of you," said Ron incredibly grateful.

"Rose, Hugo, say hello to yer new sister," said Hermione showing the baby to Rose and Hugo.

"Well, hello to you, little lady," cooed Hugo.

"What's her name?" asked Rose.

"I think we should name her Rubine, for Hagrid," said Hermione which made Hagrid blush.

"How about Rubine Alba Granger-Weasley?" said Ron as he swayed his new daughter. "We'll add in Alba for Albus."

"That's very kind of you, Uncle Ron," said Albus slightly embarrassed from the praise and attention. "But it was Hagrid who did the work..."

"Aw, Albus, don't sell yerself short," countered Hagrid. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he had delivered babies before."

"Well, I'm not calling her Rubine," stated Hugo. "I'm calling her Ruby."

"Me too," agreed Rose. "It's easier to say."

"Welcome to the world, Ruby Granger-Weasley," said Ron.

Scorpius hung back as the Granger-Weasleys gushed over the new baby. When Albus looked over his shoulder to check on Scorpius, Scorpius smiled and winked at Al, letting him know that Al did an amazing thing.

"Scorpius?" asked Draco leaning against the doorway looking exhausted and defeated. Before Scorpius could respond Scorpius could speak to his father, Draco suddenly collapsed in Scorpius.

"What's happening?" asked Scorpius holding his father with a scared look on his face. "What's wrong with him?"

"We need to get him to St. Mungo's," said Ron handing Ruby to Hermione. "Hagrid, take Hermione and the baby on your motorbike..."

"Is that even safe?" asked Rose. Ron did not hear Rose's question as he helped Scorpius carry Draco to the fireplace.

"Dad…" insisted Rose worried about Draco and Scorpius.

"Rose, take your brother and Al to the castle," said Ron. "Find your Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and tell them where we are going."

Before Rose could say another word, Ron and the Malfoys had disappeared in a poof of soot.


	35. Chapter 35

Ron and Hermione walked into St. Mungo's intensive care and saw Draco in one of the cots with Scorpius sitting by his side. Draco's hollow and sunken face was the only visable part as the cot's blanket covered the rest.

"Weasley, Granger," said Draco coughing slightly.

"Draco," said Hermione gently.

"Scorpius, find me a Healer, please?" asked Draco as he struggled to hold his head. Although slightly hesitant, Scorpius got up from the chair and walked out of the room. Once he was out of the room, Draco cleared his throat to get Ron and Hermione's attention.

"How are you doing, Granger?" asked Draco with his gravelly voice.

"Fine, thank you," said Hermione, softly.

"And the baby?" asked Draco. "Where is she?"

"She's in good hands," said Ron. "My mum's with her."

"Scorpius said her name was Ruby," said Draco.

"Yes, Ruby Weasley," said Hermione.

"Very good," hummed Draco, nodding his head in approval and softly smiling. Then, Draco's content expression changed as he began to cough.

"Hang in there, mate," said Ron. "You'll get through this…."

"Weasley, lift up the covers" said Draco hoarsely. Hermione hesitantly nodded her head to Ron, so Ron gently lifted the heavy linen blanket.

"Bloody hell," said Ron looking at the dark veins around Draco's forearms and sternum.

"No!" gasped Hermione as her eyes widen with fear. "It can't be!"

"What?" asked Ron.

"The Naqualm curse," said Hermione. "It's a blood curse. It causes your veins to go black because the iron in your blood..."

"My blood is poisoned," coughed Draco. "At this point, it's incurable."

"Those spells that Charmer used..." said Ron.

"He wanted me dead," said Draco with his chest heaving. "Looks like he's getting his wish."

Just then, Hermione collapsed into the wicker chair next to Draco as her knees shook from both exhaustion from labour and the gravity of Draco's fate.

"I have lots of regrets in my life…" said Draco, with each breathe softer and hoarser than the last. "I'm sorry...for what I did...to you two...in school…"

"Draco, please!" insisted Hermione. "We don't need to bring that up now - that's all in the past! We...we forgive you, don't we Ron?"

"Can we get a Healer, please!" called Ron out of desperation.

"You, forgive me?" asked Draco with tears in his eyes.

"Yeah," said Ron genuinely. "We forgive you."

"I need you two...to please," wheezed Draco. "I don't know where Astoria is…I don't have much family left…" As Draco struggled to speak and keep his gaze focused, Ron knew that Draco was dying, but Draco was trying to hold on to whatever life he had left to talk to them.

"Please...swear to me that you'll take care of Scorpius…" said Draco. "_Please_."

"Of course," said Hermione.

"We swear," said Ron as a team of Healers rushed over to tend to Draco..

"Father?" cried a frightened Scorpius who ran to his father's side. "What's happening? Father!"

"Scorpius," said Draco softly smiling and reaching one of his arms out to touch his son's face.

"Father," cried Scorpius as he grabbed his father's almost blackened arm. "No, please...you can fight this!"

"I love you," said Draco.

"I love you, too," sobbed Scorpius. "Please...don't go...not yet…"

"Be brave," said Draco. "...and be kind..." And with that, Draco took his last breath and his life left his eyes. Scorpius stopped crying for a second as he stood up from leaning over his father's cot, before letting out a gut-wrenching cry that echoed through the halls.

"NO!" wailed Scorpius. Without thinking, Ron grabbed the boy and pulled him in for an embrace.

"Hey," said Ron as Scorpius sobbed into Ron's shoulder. "I've got you."

* * *

"Bloody hell," whispered Hugo as he surveyed the castle.

Albus and Rose could hardly recognized the castle after the attack left it mostly destroyed. There were large holes, blasted walls, and broken glass around the grounds. When the three teenagers reached the Great Hall, stretchers and cots for the injured replaced the tables and benches reserved for meals and study halls.

"Albus!" called out Ginny as she ran towards him and hugged him.

"Mum!" cried Albus as he tried to hold back his tears.

"Where's your mum and dad?" asked Ginny to Rose and Hugo. "And Scorpius?"

"At the hospital with Mr. Malfoy," said Rose with a trembling voice. "Something wrong with him, Aunt Ginny."

"Where's Dad?" asked Albus. Ginny's soft smile dropped as she turned her head towards her husband. Al and Rose looked over and saw Harry with his arm around Neville who was kneeling over a long, white shape.

The figure was Hannah Abbott, the next matron of the hospital. As Al and Rose walked towards the corner where Hannah laid, they noticed other covered bodies of students who had been in the hospital wing at the time of the explosion as well as students and adults that had been killed in action.

Rose felt tears coming down her face as she saw Neville crying into the palms of his hand. Even Hugo was numb with grief at the sight, not even noticing that Ginny had put her hand behind his back to comfort Hugo. Just as Al pulled Rose into his shoulder, his heart sunk as he noticed Evie Longbottom sprinting down the Great Hall with Iris trailing behind her.

"Mum!" cried Evie, collapsing on top of her mother. "Mummy!" Upon hearing his daughter's cries, Neville immediately embraced Evie while Ginny put her right arm around Iris as she sobbed into Ginny's sleeve.

Al finally broke when he saw Harry's face covered in dust, defeat, exhaustion, and grief. After almost a year of fighting the enemy, all Harry had to show for it was destruction and death. Once that realization hit Al, he buried his face in Rose's hair so no one could see him crying.


	36. Chapter 36

A week after the attack, Molly and ARthur hosted a wake after Hannah Abbott's funeral at the Burrow. It was a difficult for Neville who struggled to be strong for his children. Both Evie and Alice cried the entire time, but the entire crowd nearly bursted into tears when Gus broke away from Neville's grasp and knocked on the coffin while asking for his mother to wake up. That moment caused Neville to collapse to the ground from all of the emotions that he had stifled that day.

The grandchildren, the Scamander twins, and the Longbottom children ate their lunch in the kitchen while the adults ate in the living room. Arthur sat in one wing chair while Neville sat in the other with Frankie in his lap. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny sat on the couch, with Ginny holding a swaddled one-week-old Ruby Granger-Weasley. Harry sat on the stone landing of the fireplace and Luna sat on the floor next to him.

"Here we are," said Molly placing the food on the table in the middle of the room. "This should hold everyone over until dinner - oh, Ronnie, don't get up dear!"

"Mum have a seat," said Ron going over to the fireplace to sit next to Harry. "Go see your new granddaughter."

"If you insist," said Molly cheekily as she sat down next to Ginny.

"You cooked a good one, 'Mione," said Ginny. "She's gorgeous!"

"Definitely a Weasley," said Neville as he tried to feed a restless and squirming Frankie.

"How's Scorpius doing?" asked Luna.

"Not well," said Ron. "He keeps to himself, even Rosie has trouble reaching him."

"Poor boy," sighed Ginny, handing Ruby over to Molly. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Give him time," said Harry. "The kid saw his father die, he's still probably processing it."

Scorpius attended the funeral as most of the guests were allies of the Potters and Weasleys. Afterwards, he asked Ron and Hermione if he could walk towards the River Otter with Rose and Albus. Although Hermione was hesitant, Ron knew that Albus and Rose would watch over him and agreed to let them walk to the river.

Hannah Abbott's funeral was the second funeral Scorpius attended since the battle. With help from their families, Rose and Albus arranged a small, private ceremony for Draco at the Malfoy family plot in Wiltshire. Unlike the beautiful sunny day for Hannah's funeral, Draco's memorial occurred on a rainy day. Despite the weather, the funeral brought Scorpius some peace knowing that his father fought like a hero and died doing the right thing.

Scorpius had been the first to reach the top of the hill with Rose and Albus purposefully trailing back to give him some space. As Rose and Albus stood back, Scorpius continued to stare off into the skyline thinking over the past week, his present state of mind, and his future plans. The death of his father sparked something in Scorpius. Just as Draco was driven to redeem the Malfoy family, Scorpius wanted to end the war and stop the violence once and for all.

"Scorpius?" asked Rose. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm not going back," said Scorpius with his back to Rose and Al.

"To school?" asked Rose. her voice sounding sad. Scorpius turned solemnly towards Rose and slowly nodded his head to confirm her worst suspicion.

"Why?" asked Al confused by this revelation.

"Because I don't belong there," replied Scorpius.

"Yes you do!" argued Rose. "Do you know how many Slytherins depend on you, Scorpius? You are needed there right now!"

"Other Slytherins can do that," said Scorpius. "And plenty of Potters and Weasleys."

"Scorpius," began Rose trying to change his mind.

"I've been thinking lately about this war, and what I can do to stop it," said Scorpius.

"What are you on about?" asked Al.

Just then, Scorpius reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a little leather book worn from age and decay with a Basilisk on the cover. Immediately, Rose and Al recognized the book as the book they discovered during their third year. Although they agreed to hide the book in the Restricted Section, the cunning Scorpius Malfoy clearly had other plans.

"No way," laughed Al in disbelief. "You're completely mad!"

"Scorpius!" admonished Rose. "Did you really knick a book from the forbidden section?"

"Not just any book," said Scorpius gingerly thumbing through the pages.

"No, of course it's not just any book," said Rose shaking her head. "It's only the notebook of Salazar Slytherin! How could you steal it, Scorpius? That's illegal!"

"I'm borrowing it, Rose," retorted Scorpius. "It'll go back to Hogwarts after I'm done using it."

"What do you mean by 'using it'?" asked Al.

Scorpius was silent for a bit before answering the question.

"We know the founders used the school as a laboratory to find a way to remove magic" asked Scorpius. "Well, what if we finished what they started? If we can remove the magic from Charmer, then maybe we can stop him and his followers..."

"Did you say, "we"?" asked Rose.

"Yes, we," said Scorpius. "I can't do this alone. So, if you're in, let's finish what they started. What do you say?"

Rose and Albus stared blankly at Scorpius from the in shock at hearing his plan of action. Although neither could deny that Scorpius was intelligent, Salazar Slytherin and his co-founders were extraordinarily powerful legendary wizards, whereas Scorpius had only obtained his Apparition license two months earlier.

After some hesitation, Albus walked over to Scorpius and stood next to him. That left Rose still standing in her spot, unsure whether to stay at Hogwarts or go into the unknown with the boys.

"Are you in, Rosie?" asked Scorpius.


	37. Chapter 37

Despite the tragedy that occurred, Headmaster Gamp insisted that the students finish the school year. This also meant that the seventh and fifith years take their N.E.W.T.S. and O.W.L.S. This sparked outrage among the parents and professors who felt Gamp was as callous and cruel as Umbridge. Despite McGonagall and Longbottom fighting back against Gamp, Charmer's influence helped secured Gamp's decision that the students finish the year. The students continued their lessons amongst the rubble and ruins of the castles. The Loyalty Leaders made the rest of the year even more unbearable by enforcing the new rules that Gamp imposed to restrict the students' desire to discuss not just the battle but also the events occurring prior to the battle.

The day when the Potters and Granger-Weasleys returned was arguing the worst day for Rose, Albus, and Scorpius because they knew that was the night to make the announcement for their seventh year.

Rose and Albus sat on two chairs facing each other while Scorpius sat on the bench at the end of the table. None of them spoke as Molly cooked supper while Ron and Ginny were setting up a table for the younger siblings in the living room. Eventually, the adults and James made their way to the kitchen with Hermione being the last one to sit down after putting the now two-month-old Ruby down for bed in her bassinet.

"Tuck in, everyone!" said Molly.

During dinner the adults discussed Harry's workload and the Order's assignments. with the topic eventually switching to James finishing up his seventh year and Arthur convincing Ginny and Harry to let James have some brandy in celebration of completing his wizard education.

"I'm fine with it," said Harry. "He's earned it."

"Please, Mum?" asked James.

"Fine," said Ginny. "You can give him a glass, Dad."

"Excellent," said Arthur, getting up to grab the bottle. "Anyone else want a glass?"

"I'm have one," said Harry.

"Same," said Ron.

"Me too," said Ginny.

"And next year," said Arthur returning with the brandy."We'll be doing this for Rose, Scorpius, and Albus."

"Once they've passed their all N.E.W.T.S. with 'outstandings'," said Molly beaming with pride. Rather than smile or laugh with embarrassment, all three of them looked down at the table.

"Rose, what's wrong?" asked Ron. Finally, Rose decided to muster up the courage to tend the adults the news and stood up from her chair.

"Mom, Dad" said Rose feeling her heart fluttering with anticipation and nervousness. "I'm not going back to Hogwarts next year."

At hearing this news, Ron dropped his fork on his plate and Hermione's jaw dropped at this statement.

"I'm not going back either," said Scorpius standing up as well so Rose didn't feel alone. When the adults and James then turned Albus waiting for his response, Albus merely nodded his head to confirm the news. Rose began to bite her nails as she looked at her father's face slowly turned a shade of crimson.

"And I thought I'd be the dropout, " said James trying to lighten the mood.

"Are you MAD?!" shouted Ron loud enough that the the living room went silent. Hugo, Lily, Iris, and the twins popped their heads in the kitchen and saw Rose and Scorpius simultaneously sank back to their seats.

"Well," said Arthur coughing. "Molly, why don't we take the younger kids out to catch fireflies?"

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," said Molly quickly getting up from her chair. "Come along, James."

"No way," said James. "I'm not missing this!"

"Me neither," said Hugo relishing in the rare moments when his perfect sister made a mistake.

"OUT!" cried Hermione and Ginny at the same time, making Hugo and James bolt out the room. At the sound of the commotion, Ruby woke up and began to cry. While Hermione got up to go soothe her, Ron remained seething in his chair.

"I don't understand why you all want to leave school," asked Ginny confused by this decision. "You're all such bright young things!"

"Because we want to fight in this battle," responded Scorpius. "And I'm going make sure that Jason Charmer never uses magic to kill another wizard!"

"And how do you plan on doing that, Scorpius?" asked Hermione concerned with Scorpius at this point.

"I'm going to remove his magic," said Scorpius matter-of-factly.

"Scorpius..." began Hermione.

"That is the most RIDICULOUS thing I've ever head!" said Ron his voice booming with anger. "You know how stupid you sound, son?"

"I've have proof that it can be done!" argued Scorpius as he pulled out the journal and threw it on the table, much to the surprise of Rose and Albus. "In there is a spell that all the founders worked on to remove magic from an undeserving wizard. All it needs is a name and we three can do that!"

"And do you know where to start? How long it would take?" demanded Ron. "How many names there are to be discovered?"

"You didn't any of that when you looked for Horcruxes!" argued Rose now finding her courage.

"It's not the SAME!" yelled Ron. "You three are doing something that has never been done before and endangering your lives - you're just kids! You are not responsible for fixing the world's problems!"

"We want to help, Dad!" shouted Rose, her face red with frustration at her father's lack of understanding. "As long as our classmates keep dying, it's our problem too!"

"Harry what do you have to say?" asked Ginny. Harry remained silent for a bit before finishing his brandy.

"What do I think?" said Harry, calmly. "Let them go."

"Harry..." said Ron feeling slightly betrayed by his best friend's decision.

"Rose is right," said Harry. "We had no idea where these horcruxes were or what to look for. It took a long time before we made any progress, but we found them in the end, and we did it together. I know you're scared, Ron, but so were Molly and Arthur when you were out there. I believe in the three of them, Ron - they'll have each other, just as we had each other."

"Always," said Albus making his father smile at hearing one of his favourite words.

"Besides," said Harry. "I have no doubt that once this is over, they'lll reenroll at Hogwarts and finish their education, right?"

"Of course!" said Rose and Scorpius.

"Promise," said Albus.

"Mrs. Granger? Mr. Weasley?" asked Scorpius. "Do you trust us?"

"As long as you promise to finish your educations afterwards," insisted Hermione. "Then you may go."

"Mum?" asked Albus. "Please?"

"Alright, Al," said Ginny. "Just be safe, please."

"Dad?" asked Rose meekly since he had not agreed yet to this decision.

"Right," grumbled Ron. "I need some air." Before Hermione could say anything, Ron threw his napkin on the table and stormed out of the kitchen nearly knocking over the chair. Rose's heart sank at seeing her father angry as she just wanted to make him proud of her. Now she felt a ping of shame as she heard his footsteps stomp up the stairs of the Burrow.

"Give him time, love," said Ginny noticing Rose's lip trembling slightly. "He's come around to it."

"I hope so," said Rose as she using her napkin to dry her tears.


	38. Chapter 38

Ron sat on the roof of the Burrow trying to cool off after Rose's announcement that she was no returning to Hogwarts next year. While Ron was glad to see Rose standing up for herself, Ron was angry at himself for not doing enough to have prevented her from leaving. That fact that the three teenagers felt responsible for taking action broke his heart since he didn't want that burden to be placed on any child, including his own daughter.

"When you're done moaning, perhaps you shall talk to your daughter," said Hermione sticking her head out the window.

"She probably doesn't want to talk to me, 'Mione," argued Ron. "As always, I buggered everything up."

Before Hermione responded, she heard someone clearing their throat. There was Rose standing outside the doorway with her arms folded and head cocked to the side. Hermione motioned for Rose and walked out of the room, with Ruby in her arms, to give them space.

"Hey, Dad," said Rose.

"Hey, Rosie," said Ron, caught offguard.

"Can I join?" asked Rose.

"I thought you hated heights," said Ron.

"I don't like flying, that's different," said Rose as she climbed onto the roof.

"Beautiful night," said Rose rather awkwardly.

"Innit though," mumbled Ron.

"Look, Dad," said Rose realizing small talk would not diffuse the tension. "I'm sorry if I made you upset..."

"Don't, Rose," said Ron. "I'm sorry for being an absolute git in there. I just was so angry at myself because I never wanted you to go through what I went through under the Voldemort Reign. I felt like a failure."

"Failure?" exclaimed Rose. "You're not a failure! You're Ron Weasley, a member of the Golden Trio, a hero in the Wizarding World!"

"That's very kind of you, sweetheart," said Ron. "But none of that matters to me as much as what you think of me..."

"What I think of you?" said Rose. "Dad, you_ are_ my hero!"

At hearing those words, Ron's heart melted. It was the same warm feeling he felt when he first laid eyes on Rose seventeen years ago in the delivery room. Although Ron loved all of his kids, Rose will always have a special place in his heart as his first child. Hearing those words from his daughter made Ron's face light up with joy.

"I want to do this because of you and Mum," continued Rose. "So please, don't worry about me, and for goodness sake don't be mad at yourself!"

"Rosie," said Ron putting his arm around his daughter. "I will _always_ worry about you, because you're my daughter."

"So, does this mean I can go with Albus and Scorpius?" she asked.

"You have my blessing," said Ron squeezing her. "But promise me you'll finish your education once all of this is done."

"I promise," assured Rose.

"Even if you're thirty years old?" asked Ron.

"What if I'm married by then?" teased Rose.

"Who said anything about you getting married?" asked Ron raising an eyebrow. Rose laughed as she looked up at at the navy blue sky decorated with bright orange and white clusters of stars. In the distance, Rose could hear a faint horn from a barge floating on the River Otter mixed in with a few crickets. There was even a soft cool breeze blowing through her curls.

"Beautiful night, innit Rosie?" said Ron.

"Yeah" said Rose putting her head on her father's shoulder.

* * *

All through the night, Scorpius replayed his father's death in his head over and over again. It was not the first time Scorpius had a restless night, but it wasn't easier having these dreams. Quietly, Scorpius grabbed his robe and walked out of the room trying not to wake Hugo, Albus, or James.

"Oi! Mate!" whispered Al from his mattress.

"Why are you up?" asked Scorpius.

"Because it's morning," replied Al smartly.

The two boys walked down the stairs and heard faint voices coming from the living room. As they walked in, there was Ron drinking a cup of tea, Hermione feeding Ruby, Arthur reading the _Daily Prophet,_ and Molly knitting something.

"Morning, boys!" said Arthur. "You're up early! I assumed you'd have a lie-in today."

"Did you get any sleep, Scorpius?" asked Hermione giving Ruby to Ron so she could have a sip of her tea.

"A bit," said Scorpius, although not willing to discuss his nightmares.

"Why don't you boys go out to the garden," said Ron as he rubbed Ruby's back to soothe her. "Rose is out there with a book."

"Grab some mugs and help yourselves to some tea," said Molly.

"Thanks Gran," said Al.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Scorpius giving a slight little bow that made Molly blush. Once they left for the garden with their tea, Hermione gave Ron an icy stare.

"What did I do now?" asked Ron.

"Ron, we need to make sure he's okay," argued Hermione. "We promised Draco..."

"He needs time, Hermione," said Ron. "Once he's ready, We'll be all ears."

The boys walked out to the Burrow's garden where they found Rose sitting on the stone bench surrounded by lilacs and baby's breathe flowers. Rose was still wearing her lavender pyjama set and a cream colored knitted cardigan knitted by Molly. A cup of tea was on the ground beneath her with a charm to prevent the gnomes from taking the mug or drinking the tea.

"What are you reading, nerd?" asked Scorpius sitting down next to her. Keeping her hand on the page, Rose closed the book to show the title: _Fundamental Laws of Magic _by Adalbert Waffling_._

_"_Ah, light reading, eh?" said Albus sarcastically.

"If we're going to create a spell, we need to know how they're created," said Rose. "

Scorpius took a sip of his tea as Rose and Albus chatted on about their upcoming journey. Although Rose and Albus understood the severity of their mission, there was something more personal about this mission to Scorpius. The new few months were going to be challenging, but as long as Scorpius had Rose and Albus plus their families he knew everything would be fine.

Just then, Scorpius took the book out of Rose's hand and tossed it aside.

"Scorpius! What was that for?" asked Rose annoyed that now she lost her page.

"Because this is the book we should read," said Scorpius as he revealed Slytherin's journal from his robe.

"Fine," said Rose snatching the journal from Scorpius. "Where do we start?"

"Right...here!" said Scorpius thumbing through the stained and yellow parchment.


End file.
